The Fix from Fix
A round up and review of some of 2020’s finest films and albums.
Dua Lipa “Future Nostalgia”
— McCartney Fix, Co-News Editor
Taylor Swift “Folklore”
Photo sourced from Warner Music
Photo sourced from Reddit
Future Nostalgia is the second LP from Australian pop starlet Dua Lipa. The bright poppy album was released on March 27, 2020. Dua Lipa’s second LP is as practically perfect a pop album as has ever existed. Working with a solid stable of certified hit makers, Lipa is able to find her voice and refine her kaleidoscopic vision for pop music that’s just as much inspired by Kate Bush as it is Prince. This apparent clashing of styles only serves to diversify a deep track list chock full of brilliant moments and songs worthy of a spot on the hot 100. Lipa is able to explore a number of sounds while never straying away from that which makes her unique. Shes able to wear her influences on her shoulder while never getting enveloped by their shadows. The synth and thumping percussion aid in the creation of a retro-modern soundscape that Lipa wields with power and fully imbues with the qualities likely to make her a star in the coming years. Through a combination of incredibly energetic, layered production, and powerful hooks, the Australian starlet subverts the sophomore slump and supplants herself as one of the most promising figures in modern music.
Folklore is the eighth LP from Taylor Swift. Swift utilizes her background i country and pop to create a unique album, which was released on July 24, 2020. Folklore sets out to subvert the astronomical expectations of an LP by pop music’s queen, and does so wonderfully. Taking a jarring genre shift in stride, Taylor Swift reinvents herself artistically, reenters the limelight of country music, and revitalizes her creativity all on an LP that’s one part indie (“exile”) one part country (“betty”) and wholly inspired throughout. It’s clear that Swift took the criticism of her overproduced and underwhelming prior two LP’s to heart, opting to return to her roots. Wielding little else more than a somber guitar, a serene piano, and a sharp as ever pen, Swift crafts her most honest and introspective work. In the midst of this folk renaissance one may worry about a lack of truly great pop melodies, but that concern is swiftly and resoundingly made mute by the incredibly crafted melodies of tracks like “cardigan” and “the 1” On this LP, Swift delivers a lovingly crafted yet crushingly desolate, isolated listening experience that brilliantly echoes the lonely, quarantined conditions under which it was recorded.
16
November 2020
The Weeknd “After Hours”
Photo sourced from Reddit
After Hours is the fourth studio LP from R&B crooner turned pop star The Weeknd. The unique blend of 80’s pop and modern R&B was released on March 20, 2020. The Weeknd entirely reinvents himself once again on his fourth studio album, retaining the smooth stylings of his mixtape era while introducing himself to the spice of 80’s pop music. Through this subtle balancing act, The Weekend is able to establish himself as the preeminent pop star of our time, the last true heir to the throne of R&B infused pop left vacant after Usher and Justin Timberlake’s departure from the spotlight, while never losing his unique artistic vision. The Weeknd has always excelled at laying bare his soul over production that existed on a spectrum from uninterestingly bare to overbearingly extreme never truly finding the balance, yet he manages to do so effortlessly here. Whether its an impeccable homage to 80’s synth wave (In Your Eyez) or cold, calculated trap (Snowchild), The Weeknd has never so effortlessly imbued his flair into such broad horizons. After Hours is an LP rich with depth and variety that’s sure to have a little bit of everything for everybody, never sacrificing the quality of its whole for the sake of any of its individual parts.
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