FKA twigs Wants Angel Intervention and 10 More New Songs

FKA twigs’ new mixtape “Caprisongs” features excerpts from conversations he had with his friends. aforementioned It represents a kind of sonic antidote to the loneliness and self-doubt she experienced during the 2020 quarantine. The disruptive, shape-shifting “Meta Angel” is perhaps the purest version of this approach: After a promotional pep talk from a friend, twigs confesses their particular weaknesses (“I have voices in my head, he says I won’t.” Go forward), masterfully defying his entire challenge. Auto Tuned, before Charli calls to the XCX-esque choir. “Throw it into the fire,” he tightened his belts, in an explosion of emotion that sounded like the first step to recovery. LINDSAY ZOLADZ

“L’enfer” – “Hell” as Stromae confesses on this single – are suicidal thoughts. Stromae, whose father is from Rwanda, is a Belgian songwriter, musician, dancer and YouTube creator who made a comeback after releasing his last studio album in 2013. This song reveals the reason for her absence: dark, self-destructive impulses. he prevented. It starts with Bulgarian-style vocal harmonies and progresses to four sad piano chords, as Stromae thinks, “It’s crazy how many people thought the same thing.” A chorus, humming electronics, and a humming rhythm respond to it, but there is nothing sacred about the song; Looks like Stromae is still grappling with his troubles. JON PARELES

Aldous Harding, ‘The Grass’

“Doors are the way you left it/Open it to me,” says the always enigmatic Aldous Harding in “Lawn,” from an album to be released in March. The piece is a subtle homage to Stereolab, as Harding vaguely contemplates “losing you” and the obligations of songwriting, pacing calmly on breezy syncopated drums between two-chord piano patterns: “Time flies when I’m writing the B-side.” Harding’s co-directed video features human-lizard hybrids and real reptiles, but it never feels completely cold-blooded.

Maren Morris, ‘The Circles Around This Town’

first single from Maren Morris’ new album “Humble Quest” He vividly evokes his early days in Nashville, wandering around town in a “A-conditioned Montero” shopping for “a few bad demos on a burnt CD”. These details may seem lived and time-stamped, but Morris knows he operates in a long lineage – he wasn’t the first songwriter to tour Music City in hopes of catching his big break, and he won’t be the last. . The song’s direct appeal to this country tradition feels like a throwback to the days before Morris’ pop crossover, but he and producer Greg Kurstin prove that twang doesn’t stand in the way of a soaring, universally inviting chorus. On the other side of success, “I thought things would look different when I hit it, but I hit the pedal anyway,” Morris says, still hungry but now with mature confidence in his ability. ZOLADZ

An evil legend hangs over Pavement’s fifth and final album, “Terror Twilight” in 1999. Alt-rock superproducer Nigel Godrich was hired to make the band’s loose rock sound a little more palatable for the mainstream, but his methods hastened the demise of the already frayed band – or so the story goes. However, on April 8, Matador Records will finally release a comprehensive deluxe edition of “Terror Twilight,” and perhaps enough time has passed since the LP’s polarized release that it can finally be appreciated on its own terms. A first taste of unreleased material, loose and blues jam “Be the Hook,” complicates the acquired wisdom that “Terror Twilight” is all about streamlined melodies and smoothed edges, as Stephen Malkmus charismatically shines over a charismatically crunchy riff. : “Everybody put your hands together and cheer for this rock ‘n’ roll band!” ZOLADZ

Fousheé, King Princess with ‘Little Disturbing’

king princessA Brooklyn songwriter uses a programmed punk-pop beat, U2-style guitar chords, cascading vocal harmonies, and endorsement by co-writer Fousheé, to confront his indifferent ex. trouble.” “Do you think you should try a little harder?” she asks carefully.

Robert Glasper, Killer Mike, Big KRIT and BJ the Chicago Kid with ‘Black Superhero’

Robert Glasper, a jazz pianist with a close relationship with hip-hop, works on three deep chords and plays Killer Mike (dan Run the Jewels), Big KRIT and BJ the Chicago Kid called a “Black Superhero”. The song invokes the activism of the 1960s and current unrest to seek ways to save “every block, every neighborhood, every city, every ghetto.” PARELES

DJ Python, ‘Angel’

Brooklyn-based producer Brian Piñeyro (aka DJ Python) has a reputation for precision. consider its title Web siteis a painfully accurate observation on contemporary texting behavior: “to sincerely say something and end it with.lol.” Such soft-focused sensuality is fueled by the forthcoming full-length “Club Sentimientos, Vol. 2. Throughout the 10-minute production, Piñeyro collages imaginary, crystalline syntheses and drums into a suspended state of astral bliss. The song comes alongside a special perfume; The definition – a “gender spectral” scent rooted in a mad culture – just immerses the release even further into the universe of dreams. ISABELIA HERRERA

Jacques Greene, “The Bull”

Jacques Greene has always been interested in weaving the textures of club music of all kinds, but in “Taurus” he takes a more meditative route, perhaps inspired by his recent soundtracks. Reminiscent of the hustle and bustle of a distant dance floor, hard-edged drum breaks set the production in motion, but there’s a softness in the middle. Vocalist Leanne Macomber’s steamy whispers and echoes float above and above each other, curling into a small misty cloud like a visible breath on a cold day. The effect is cold and cavernous, but gives an unexpected sense of comfort. HERRERA

Gonora Sounds, ‘Kusaziva Kufa’

Gonora Sounds from Zimbabwe is led by Daniel Gonora, a blind guitarist who is a member of the Jairos Jiri Band, a leading Zimbabwean band. For years he made a living by demonstrating in the streets of Harare, the capital city of Zimbabwe. a documentary, “You Can’t Really Hide” rekindled its reputation and released an album on February 4 called “Hard Times Never Kill,” backed by some of Zimbabwe’s best musicians. His style is called sungura, and it combines Zimbabwe’s own traditions – a selection of guitars that reflect the flashing patterns of thumb pianos – with styles from all over Africa. “Kusaziva Kufa” (“Ignorance”) mocks anyone who doubts his music will survive; Between drums, vocals and guitars, it’s a syncopated marvel that shifts into an even higher gear halfway through. PARELES

Rokia Koné and Jacknife Lee, ‘Kurunba’

Malian singer and songwriter Rokia Koné is smiling in the video for “Kurunba” and the rhythms of her and Irish producer Jackknife Lee, whose collaborative album is due to be released on February 18, collide with each other. electronic bass, fast strumming guitars and West African percussion with an unstoppable rhythm. Still, the harshly rasped lyrics are about the ways in which a patriarchal culture protested with undisputed vigor after women raise their children. PARELES