RECORD OF THE WEEK
8 / 10
End of Daze EP by Dum Dum Girls
Genre: Indie Rock, Pop Rock
Ever since they hit the scene, Dum Dum Girls improve through their every release. The band finally stood confidently outside of fuzzball recording to show what they got in their previous record Only in Dreams. And now, Dum Dum Girls’ new EP End of Daze moves another step forward into a bigger direction. Frontwoman Dee Dee explored her vocal capabilities in Only in Dreams, and those efforts show tremendously for this EP. Her Mazzy Star influenced ballad “Coming Down” from Dreams is expanded into the mightier highlight “Lord Knows.” Arming a more mystical outfit, Dee Dee bellows a melancholy comfort song. Toughness also seeps into their sound. Jangly Pop Rock riffs of the band roar louder and stronger. Warm riffed “Season in Hell” sweetly oozes with reverb as it fills the room. Guitars give a tough shred along side the attention grabbing hook of Dee Dee in “I Got Nothing.” Dee Dee has been a powerful frontwoman and she continues to awe with the blow of their newest EP. End of Daze should hold you over for with its fresh 5 tracks of goodies until Dee Dee decides to put in work for an official album.
*Check out: “Lord Knows”
SINGLES OF THE WEEK
“Ulysses VIP” by Om Unit
Back in July, Om Unit gave us a cube-tastic video for his club-shuffler single “Om Unit” He updated the sound so it’s even busier footwork for you to keep up with. The original’s slapping kicks and hypnotic bass gets amped up for this VIP edit. Maybe it might come off more speedy but “Ulysses” is still guaranteed to break a sweat.
“Begin Again” by Taylor Swift
Didn’t like Taylor Swift’s bubblegum sing-along “We are Never Ever Getting Back Together”? Well, let her new genuine and intimate Folk “Begin Again” convince you that Taylor Swift’s upcoming Red is something to wait for. “Begin Again” is free from over-gloss that might have stopped her other singles from getting your full attention. And this is definitely Swift at a more mature attempt than that tween break-up single. Give it a listen.
EH. OF THE WEEK
6 / 10
Food and Liquor II: The Great American Album Pt. 1 by Lupe Fiasco
Genre: Hip Hop
For those still convinced that Hip Hop lost its “realness” since the start of the decade, maybe Lupe Fiasco’s newest “return-to-form” might be appealing. The relieving part of F&L II is how the production nods back closer to his debut in a sense that the producers lean less to the overly flashiness of Lasers. But the dullness comes from Lupe Fiasco himself. Fiasco can write no doubt, but his faux-cool delivery and persona with his work just isn’t working out.
He shows enough that he can do this Rap thing in his sleep, most represented in “Forms Follow Function.” Though instead of coming as a “I don’t need no hook for this shit” bravado, it just comes out as a leisure time faux-freestyle. And if Lupe’s seemingly casualness is suppose to make him sound more intuitive, it instead backfires into this sort of dry attempt at spoken-word. “Realness” gleams for whoever found Fiasco’s political statements in the previous Lasers engaging. More of those socio-conscious topics are raised with his ever-dense wordplay. But even the most powerful topics Lupe tackles sounds dull from such a conversational approach. Lupe fans asked for more compromise towards their needs, and the result turned to be a bland middle.
