In “What We’re Listening To,” Engadget’s writers and editors discuss some of the most recent music releases. This article covers everything from jazz standards to the Jesus Lizard.
Lady Gaga – Harlequin
Within a minute of starting Harlequin, I realized, Wow, I’m going to have a really hard time loving it. Unfortunately for everyone in my life (and doubly so since I’m singing along), I’ve been fussing all weekend since Friday’s sudden drop. Gaga is a powerful artist, and as much as I adore her take on pop, I’m always amazed when I hear her play jazz. And Harlequin is full of it.
Harlequin is a companion album to an upcoming movie (Joker: Folie à Deux) and is made up almost entirely of cover songs. This combination may not be a good combination for me. But Gaga’s breezy versions of classics like “World on a String” and “Smile” are almost chilling. Her energy on songs like “Gonna Build a Mountain” is off the charts. I wish I didn’t have to listen to “Oh, When the Saints,” but now I’m really just pointing out small details. Although there are only two original songs on the album, they are completely different beasts, each shocking in their own way. “Happy Mistake” is clearly the standout song, and I’ll be crying silently listening to it for years to come.
Babe Heaven – Annoying
On the opposite end of the spectrum, I’ve been really into punk band Babe Haven’s latest album, Nuisance, lately. The queer femme rant lasts about 25 minutes and never gets old. Check it out on Bandcamp.
— Cheyenne McDonald, Weekend Editor
Jesus Lizard – Rack
Even the comeback album’s laudatory reviews are based on expectations tempered by preemptive apologies and sympathetic praise. Comparisons to when there was a sense of musical urgency are inevitable. It hurts for the same reason that people say, “You look great for your age.” I wish there was a way to appreciate Rack without all that baggage, but Jesus Lizard doesn’t just sound better than a band that’s been out for 30 years, it’s that time has passed entirely. Because it doesn’t sound like it. .
Luck has an inexplicably unremarkable presence in his work. Sure, it doesn’t measure up to early meandering songs like “What if?” and “Rodeo in Joliet,” but “Lord Godiva” is Duane Dennison’s most Duane Dennison-esque riff, lightning, and crude. Glide over the. The manic physicality of David Yeo’s voice remains unchanged. After more than 60 years of attacking ghosts, I’m not any more irritated, nor am I any less weakened by the effort.
Many bands, seemingly frozen in amber, reappear naked, as if to cover themselves. They would be desperately trying to get back to their glory days if they had the energy to do anything anymore. Luck is a band that, through sheer ferocity, instead continues to do business as usual, business as usual, and sound really fucking cool doing it.
— Avery Ellis, Associate Editor, Report
Sabrina Carpenter – Short and Sweet
There’s a part of me that hates keeping up with pop music and realizing that the last few albums I’ve listened to have been by pop princesses like Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, and Taylor Swift. , it makes me cringe. . It’s also the part of me that resisted listening to Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album for months (and probably the part of me that refused to see the excellent Schitt’s Creek until this year). ).
I say this only to explain why I was so slow to appreciate “Short and Sweet.” And the self-judgmental part of me unashamedly loves Carpenter’s new music and has been asking all of my friends if they’ve heard any of her songs. As I talked about her to different groups of friends, it became clear that there is something for everyone, no matter the diversity of our tastes.
I’m a fan of R&B, hip-hop, and basically anything that allows me to dance and sing. The tracks “bet u wanna,” “Taste,” and “Feather” have become frequently recurring items on my playlists, and admittedly, some of these titles refer back to her older discography. I went back. However, my current favorite is espresso. It features catchy hooks, witty lyrics, and a groovy beat that delicately straddles the line between upbeat and low-key. I love wordplay, and the way the rhythm and melody were woven together made it sound like Carpenter was singing in another language at first. And as someone who works in the tech industry and is an occasional gamer, I especially loved the use of the words “up, down, left, right,” “Switch,” and Nintendo. Really, rhyming “espresso” with “Nintendo” was something I didn’t expect to work, but it did.
But back to what I said earlier. Even if that kind of chill dance club atmosphere isn’t your thing, there’s a lot in “Short n’ Sweet” that might appeal to you. For example, I wasn’t as big of a fan as “Please Please Please Please,” but I know friends who love it. “Bed Chem” and “Good Graces” don’t stir my emotions as much as “Espresso,” but these two songs are among her most played songs on Spotify. I’m also starting to warm up for “Juno”.
That means we all have different tastes. Maybe you’re a fan of Chapel Lawn. I like some of her newest songs, but not as much as Carpenter’s. I also really like Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s “Die With a Smile” and would like to add it to my karaoke duet repertoire, but I’ve been playing it less and less lately. If you like music by Ariana Grande, New Jeans, Doja Cat, etc., you’ll have a great time listening to Sabrina Carpenter. And since I was so late to the party, you’re probably already there.
— Cherlynn Low, Associate Editor, Reviews
