‘Sisters are doin’ it for themselves,’ this week:
Lana Del Rey – Ride
After a short break, Lana is finally filling our ears again with her dark and sultry drones with her first release from her new EP, Paradise. Released on November 11th, Lana’s ‘Ride’ is one of nine tracks, along with ‘Blue Velvet,’ which can already be heard in recent H&M adverts this winter. ‘Ride,’ shines a light on what Lana is known and loved for; her haunting, highly emotive pop ballad. With monotoned verses, largely resembling those of Johnny Cash, Lana yet again proves how musically diverse she can be if we compare it to the likes of ‘Diet Mountain Dew’ from her debut album. She is constantly creating sub-genres within her own genre. We are continually sent through a journey of different tempos in ‘Ride.’ We start in a slow, mysterious anguish which eventually builds into a harmonious, dream-like chorus.
Let’s hope Rey finds herself in her own paradise of critical acclaim this winter…
Daughter - Smother
It was earlier this year that I first came across Daughter and Elena repeatedly amazed me with every song, however, with this track I hate to admit it, but it was a bit of a slow burner. I’m now pleased to announce, however, that I am completely convinced this is by far the best release from Daughter. ‘Smother,’ shows how musically advanced and developed the three-piece have become, particularly from the days of Ellen’s acoustic sessions on Youtube; still proving tracks like ‘Peter,’ are great but nothing which steps out of the generic female acoustic artist. ‘Smother’ jumps right in front of the queue of girls with guitars seeking stardom, with its multi-musical dimensions. The haunting vocals acts as a musical canvas for the poetical lyrics which speak out to any young lover who has ever been accused of smothering their other half (metaphorically of course). Daughter’s target listeners are the bitter, obsessive youth who fantasise about being loved or being a loved-up masochist…either way, its powerful stuff.
‘Smother,’ proves to be a highly anticipated taster of what is to come in the lead up to their UK tour in 2013, proving that it will be year the wild youth make their mark.
Haim - Don’t Save Me
My friend recommended Haim to me and I stupidly found myself brushing them aside after a couple of listens. (In my defence, I was caught up in a blurry dissertation haze at this point, ya know… wasn’t really thinking straight). Anyway, the Californian trio have now grabbed my attention with their most recent single, ‘Don’t Save Me.’ In interviews, they claim they are combining two genres: Rock and R&B, which can mainly be distinguished through their heavy use of percussion. I later read that the Haim sisters are all drummers… which would explain why I always want to dance whenever I hear the chorus: Baby, don’t save me, nooooow, with a hairbrush at the ready. It’s been a while since I’ve heard an alternative pop girl group. Don’t get me wrong, I have no qualms in admitting I am a sucker for the old-skool Sugababes and how extremely excited I am for the Girls Aloud reunion, but it’s so refreshing to hear three girls sing their own music, inspired by the heavily musical background they’ve been brought up in.
They’re quirky and they’re bringing nu-folk to the music industry: I’m on board.
Sisters are really doin’ it for themselves this week eh…
