Tropicana Magazine Nov-Dec 2018 #121: Festive Frivolities

CULTURE | MUSICS
Turn It Up
Four of the best albums of 2018.
THE CARTERS
EVERYTHING IS LOVE
After an album
each laying bare
their tumultuous
relationship,
and numerous
collaborations, power
couple Bey and Jay
finally make an album
together. The enemy
here is not each
other but racism and
American politics.
Both artists get equal
time with Jay-Z happy
to hang back or play
call and response while Beyonce shows off unexpected rapping chops. ‘Nice’,
produced by Pharrell, is a glossy trap number. Its repeated refrain of “ I can
do anything”, proud boasts and indignant swearing, should tell you where
The Carters’ headspace is at: they have each other, influential friends and
money that puts their unborn grandchildren on the Forbes list. Sure, it can
border on self-obsession and narcissism, as on ‘Boss’ when Jay reflects on the
family’s “ hundred million crib, 3 million watch”, but its intention is to call
out prejudice. In America, if you’re rich and black, you’re still black.
Our Pick...
ARCTIC
MONKEYS
TRANQUILITY BASE
HOTEL AND CASINO
Six albums along and
Sheffield’s favourite
sons show no signs of
slowing down or fitting
in. ‘Tranquility Base’ is
a significant departure
from the band’s previous
sound, the knowing back
alley Brit rock swagger
replaced with a drowsy
space funk that sounds
as if it’s been piped in from the outer reaches of the universe. It’s less
immediate, but worth the ride. Frontman Alex Turner’s lyrics remain wry
and insightful, a disembodied voice and contemplating earth even as it
disappears out of sight. Ghosts linger everywhere, the spirit of Bowie most
of all; although ‘Star Treatment’ which channels soul and 60s soundtracks
could easily have been written for Prince.
COURTNEY BARNETT
TELL ME HOW YOU REALLY FEEL
No one does honesty like Courtney Barnett. The alt-rock
singer-songwriter chronicles the comically mundane
with poetic depth and a slacker drawl. Angrier than
her charming debut, this sophomore effort begins
benignly but slowly works itself into a rage on ‘I’m Not
Your Mother’. Courtney takes issue with fame, trolls
and personal relationships, the tender ‘I Need A Little
Time’ at once pleading for a time out from herself and
her fans/girlfriend. The album pays repeated tribute to
Nirvana, notably through the grungy chords of ‘Crippling
Self Doubt and General Lack of Confidence’ which
features Breeders’ Kim and Kelley Deal. But it’s ‘Nameless
Faceless’ that captures the moment. Lamenting misogyny
and female fear, its powerless anger stays hidden in quiet
sadness, praise be.
YOUNG
FATHERS
COCOA SUGAR
Proving that
their Mercury
Prize win in
2014 was no
fluke, the
genre-defying
trio from
Edinburgh
return with a
blistering third
album. ‘Cocoa Sugar’ lyrically explores themes of colour
and class by way of some spiritual soul searching. Despite
eviscerating electro-pop, alt-rap, avant-rock, what have
you, it’s their most accessible album to date with rousing
gospel soul and undeniable hooks punching through
the dense sonic squall and off-kilter beats. The squelchy
sounds of ‘Holy Ghost’ and the zeitgeist African rhythms
of ‘In My View’ typify the direction Alloysious Massaquoi,
Kayus Bankole and G Hastings take, but it’s ‘Toy’s
frenetically paced social commentary and ‘See How’s
bleepy beats and staccato rap that are the stand out tracks.
CURATED BY REMI DUTTA
TM | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
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