Max's Music Mondays // 11.30.20
kmoe & BLENDA & me being still full from thanksgiving
Happy last day of November,
I hope you all had a safe and nice and loving Thanksgiving. It’s a holiday that begs for reflection on the past year. A year where music has played a very important role for me. But, without live shows, revisiting music feels so much more personal this time around. All to say, don’t be surprised if famous Maxies categories like “Best Festival Performance” turn into “favorite album to listen to on my daily walk”. Also, been reflecting(?) on how cool it would be to play in the NBA. I’ve been commenting on all of Jimmy Butler’s IG posts, but he has not reached out yet. Stay tuned I guess. Anyways:
flutter - kmoe
Warm intimate keys, almost like we’re in the piano just bathing in its love. kmoe means business, an angelic voice floating beautifully against the keys. Such humanity in his tone, yearning and overextending. It’s the exact tone I imagine for thinking back on childhood memories. Around 51 seconds and the strings hit. Half cinematic, half nintendo wii, stunning in their balance and their tone. But just as we feel stable, the cracks start to reveal themselves, sunlight peaking through, there’s more to this song than we realized. It's almost feels like the song is hatching from it’s egg, and we just get to watch it happen. Safe to say at 1:41 it might’ve hatched. ABSOLUTELY KMOE ABSOLUTELY, and I’m doing that cool face when something sounds so good, holding both thumbs up. Just a nasty bass, getting more and more chaotic by the second, synth arpeggios going tf off. That count in! It’s so damn charming. Again, a second time, felt like I knew what this song was and would be. But I was embarrassingly wrong. A true “olé”, the cape pulled away to reveal the song in its fullest form. The arpeggios and the bass finding a new rhythm against a ruthless kick drum. Crunchy and relentless. Interestingly, the lyrics are just one phrased reframed with each new musical scene.
“I’ve been capitalizing all my favorite childhood memories without even realizing. Now it seems my words have lost all of their meaning, like when you say them too many times”
The ‘all of their meaning…’ repeating on and on until they lose all meaning themselves, another instrument in this beautiful orchestra. kmoe is 16 years old and while sure, you could use this fact to find flaws/critics of whatever kind, for me? That’s inspiring as hell. To be able to create so uniquely, so courageously at that age?? Ok kmoe!! I guess we could all do that too, huh? Existing somewhere in the hyperpop extended universe, the Vancouver artist brings the energy and is certainly one to keep an eye on.
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Options - BLENDA
The '“oooh yeah” that kicks this one off is my exact reaction to the whole song. There’s really not much more to say. But yes I will do my best (where best means to ramble on for a couple hundred more words). Options is an all out banger, fitting itself easily into an Ariana-R+B/Pop-adjacent world. The production is restrained early, yet even under the filter you can hear those chords bending. It’s a wonky feel, balancing well with the more rigid percussion. BLENDA’s voice is obviously the feature up top. There’s something so perfect about her tone - a little coarse around the edges, letting more human flairs live. Both breathy and breathless? Also some really creative melodies that felt totally unexpected for me (more on this shortly). The 808s come to play in the chorus, adding power and heft but managing to stay out of BLENDA’s way. The back half of the chorus is home to Surprising Melody pt. 2. Those background vocals coming in for some call and response were a genuine surprise for me and almost give this one a playful, broadway almost?? feel. Finding a new flow, verse 2 is BLENDA owning her power over those vying for her love. The ad libs sit way back in the mix but work some magic here. “Wish I would give them a title though / but know I won’t” she’s in total control of the situation. It’s less playing hard to get and more knowing her worth. These drums hit so hard, oh to mob to this at a bar… The layers of vocals on the outro really come through, like BLENDA and all their friends standing empowered together, quite a vibe. I love this one, simple, honest, effective. The Swedish artist’s first official single, it’s one heck of a debut.
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In Case You Missed It (gathered ‘em here ^^ to make it easy). Another stunning King Princess single, so catchy and such a delightful 90’s pop feel. New Arlo Parks is always reason to celebrate. Silver Sphere with a wild teen movie electronic pop smash. Cosha as sultry as ever with a sneaky adventurous new single. Saba back with some mellow heat. I love Rico Nasty and this NYT profile was fun and insightful. Been bumping this 2020 Disco playlist all week, can’t recommend it enough.
If I do play for the Heat this year, I promise to send you all signed shoes and stuff,
Max