Freddie Mercury packed drama into every syllable when he sang “Face It Alone.” The song was rediscovered in the 1988 session archives and is currently being reconstructed while Queen were preparing a significantly expanded reissue of their 1989 album The Miracle.It’s a dirge about inevitable, existential loneliness, set to slow, bare bones arpeggios and the sound of funeral drums, Mercury’s voice whispering the clatter of cloaks and balconies. Extend it to the arena scale as you move between thuds. John Pareles
1975, “Oh Caroline”
1975 regularly scours the rock and pop catalogs of the past, experimenting with styles. “Oh Caroline” Does Not Fit Any Obvious Musical References — Unparalleled VulnerabilityCaroline, no It was by the Beach Boys, but instead used electronic percussion, scrubbing guitars and bubbling keyboard chords during the days when Michael McDonald led the Doobie Brothers. I want to do well,” sings Matty Healy as he makes many romantic promises as he takes advantage of the freedom of the internet to travel through time.pareles
Nessa Barrett “California Tired”
20-year-old Nessa Barrett has established herself on TikTok with songs about pain, self-doubt and thoughts of death. The comical relief of her new debut album, Young Forever, is “Tired of California,” a sweet-voiced summary of her glamor, superficiality and exhaustion as she strives for stardom in Los Angeles. “I’m tired of having my perfect skin in the sun,” she said. “Tom’s Diner” by Suzanne Vegashe then sees death as a career move that leaves her “forever young.” “When you die, you’re more famous.” The production deftly incorporates Los Angeles specialties: crunch her EDM, orchestral bombshells, hair metal her guitars, confessional piano her chords and more. Too self-conscious.pareles
Lil Baby featuring EST Gee, “Back and Forth”
As Lil Baby attains rap superstardom, he tends to lean towards his melodic side, a combination of knowledge and reconciliation. But “Back and Forth” from his new album It’s Only Me is something a little more pure. A pair of chilling poems about conquests of various kinds by Lil Baby and Kentucky firebrand EST Gee.John Caramanica
Blink-182, “Edging”
Pop-punk reunion Mount Rushmore is finally complete – Blink-182’s essential (but not original) line-up is (again) reunited. Tom DeLonge will rejoin Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker on tour next year. The announcement included a new song, “Edging”. This marks the first time this line-up has joined the studio in ten years. Familiar yet spooky, botox-tight but utterly devoid of the childlike glee that marked the group’s breakout hit, one of Blink’s allures to him is the feeling that he might unleash at any moment. This suggests that they are content to remain contained.Caramanica
Sevdaliza “Woman Life Freedom”
Born in Iran and raised in the Netherlands, Sevdariza confronts female oppression in “Woman Life Freedom.” The song begins with just her vocals and develops into a solemn and devastating orchestral march. Sevdaliza said, “I was taught compliance in the name of the sword/It stung every dream I could be.” The track is laced with spoken words calling for an end to Iran’s dictatorship. But her musical clout and ambitions aren’t just topical.pareles
Lucrecia Dalt “Atemporal”
“Atemporal” (“Timeless”) is the latest high-concept album “Ay! ” is recorded. Score. “Oh!” is about Preta, an alien entity who first experiences linear time and physicality on a visit to Earth. For Dalt, it’s also about memories and warping (acoustic, spatial, sustained) of the music she grew up with. “Atemporal” is more or less bolero, deconstructed and reconstructed to look vintage or computer-tuned, with lots of crunky percussion. It is purposefully selfish.pareles