Björk - Vespertine

Björk has one of the most unique, amazing and incredible voices in all of music, her vocal prowess in all her albums are second to none, putting this up to any female artists, I’d have a hard time not picking her. Vespertine, a personal and romantic album that explores the narrow intricacies of love. Björk’s plethora of sensual lyrics and vocals grip onto you as she lulls and weaves messages of sweet nothings and strips back everything to give you a close look into her emotions.

Imagery and suggestive vocals plow throughout the song Pagan Poetry, instilling the ecstasy that one might feel through vespertine. A warm embrace of love from Björk’s perspective as she begins to fuse her flesh with her emotional desires. The electronic beats contrast with the ever present but beautiful harps that shape and construct around her voice and the background hums of a quite vulnerable person.

The Life of Pablo - Kanye West

Kanye's Latest Album boasts No major statements, no reinventions, no "zeitgeist wheelie-popping". However The Life Of Pablo still portrays to us the clever, insecure, ambitious, and brimming with contradictions Kanye we have always known. 

Kanye picks the right guests and gives them idealised settings, making people you don't care about sound amazing and people you do care about sound immortal.  For example Chance the Rapper, is given the spotlight on"Ultralight Beam," which is the opener for the album and really does kick it off with a bang. 

Personally the two songs which stand out for me are 'Real Friends' and 'Feedback'. Both tracks feels more heartfelt and reflective than the rest. He talks about his friendship and relationships with his family including those that aren't genuine within 'Real Friends', and touches on the issue of the black lives movement in 'Feedback'. 

The true lyrics and contemporary beats make these songs to reflect on. "name one genius that ain't crazy."

Kanye is  among the timeless musical artists and rappers that we will always remember. "The Life of Pablo" is a great addition to your music playlist and is definitely worth the listen. Check out another one of the albums song's 'Fade' down below:

Stormzy Gang Signs & Prayer

Stormzy's latest album 'Gang Signs& Prayer' features a wide mixture of songs which also feature his sensitive side we aren't used to seeing from the traditional grime artist. The album itself delves into the life of Stormzy and also shows the moment his cab driver dad came back into his life after leaving him as a child. You can definitely tell Stormzy pours his heart and soul into this album through his emotions and smoother tones he opted for certain songs. The album also features his traditional quick tempo, heavy bass stereo pumping music and a clear example of this is his track ‘cold’. the instrumental makes it undeniably grime and infectious and is reminiscent of his past favourite 'shut-up'.
Lay Me Bare for me sticks out and ties the album off with Stormzy raging against his father who chose not to be in his life and remembering the death of a friend with just the right balance of starkness and musicality providing his audience a view of both worlds. Overall, Gang Signs & Prayer is a daring debut. Stormzy could have played it safe with this album, but instead challenged himself with with the inclusion of sensitivity and vulnerability. A key factor about this album is the complexities Stormzy challenges, altering our perspectives of this typical British rapper. Check out the song cold below:

The Velvet Underground & Nico – Self Titled

The Velvet Underground & Nico – Self Titled

Just recently listened to this classic album, and it took me away on the second relisten. A beloved New York band from the singer songwriter Lou Reed, featuring other talents like Sterling Morrison, John Cale, Larry Estridge and on this particular album Nico. The Velvet Underground & Nico is an incredibly bold record for its time and for today, and is very deserving of its definitive and iconic status in rock music, it’s filled with experimental artful songs ranging from infectious to utterly strange and twisted, and the best tracks on this manage to do both.

Nico sings on the song Femme Fatale, which is a very gentle ballad that’s got a faint tambourine and backing beat mixed in the far left channel, there’s all these very soft guitar arpeggios that feel sort o muddy flowing around into the mix and the way the way that the instrumentations come together are kind of loose, know that when The Velvet Underground get fast, it’s loud and they also get kind of chaotic but the spotlight on this track is really on Nico’s voice, it’s womanly she has a very unique cadence to the way that she sings her words most likely due to her accent, it’s not a warmish voice while it is very soft on the ears, it’s very sturdy as well. A must listen to you music nerds.

'Issues' - Julia Michaels

Julia Michaels has burst into the mainstream music scene with her single, ‘Issues’. A pop ballad centred around the electronic bassline and sultry vocals, the lyrics capture her experience of the highs and lows of falling in love, and it’s amazing. The resonating bass, plucked strings and syncopated percussion all perfectly complement her breathy vocal technique, which is not actually the right way to sing, but it doesn’t even matter. The lyrics? Everyone writes above love these days, but she manages to form lines that are not cliché and honest. But perhaps the best part is the last chorus, where the subdued bridge crescendos into a harmonic powerhouse of layered vocals and bass. Having co-written many major hits in the last couple of years, including Justin Bieber’s sorry, we’re glad that she has decided to keep this hit for herself.

Click here for a lyrical breakdown:

http://atwoodmagazine.com/issues-julia-michaels/