In this weekly column, The Straits Times curates the most buzz-worthy music you need to know about now.
Ace Album: Taylor Swift – 1989 (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift’s ongoing project of re-recording her old albums continues with her fifth LP 1989, originally released in 2014.
It is best remembered as the record that saw the American megastar going full-on pop, leaving behind her country music roots. It also includes some of her biggest hits, including effervescent synth-pop tracks Bad Blood, Blank Space and Shake It Off.
The new renditions are faithful and recreate the originals note for note.
Discerning listeners might make out a few subtle differences – the bass is a little more prominent and her singing voice marginally deeper.
The real gems, as with her previous three re-recorded Taylor’s Version albums, are the previously unreleased songs from the 1989 sessions.
Dubbed the From The Vault songs, the five included here include Slut!, a dreamy, ethereal number that ruminates on her reputation as a serial dater.
Cementing her gift for storytelling, these tracks could very well have been part of the original line-up and were probably left out due to the need for brevity.
And while Swift famously keeps secret the subject of her songs, observers and fans generally agree that the ones mourning a past relationship, such as Now That We Don’t Talk and Is It Over Now?, draw from her previous romance with another contemporary pop titan, British star Harry Styles. – Eddino Abdul Hadi
Must-see MV: Taemin – Guilty
Trust Taemin to bring a touch of horror movie Midsommar (2019) to his music.
The 30-year-old K-pop soloist, who is also part of boy band Shinee, is back with a new mini album more than two years after his last one.
The lead single Guilty is a theatrical number that builds up to a bombastic ending. It is accompanied by an even more dramatic music video.
With lyrics that speak of a toxic and abusive relationship seemingly from the point of view of the party inflicting harm, the video possesses the eerie undertones of a psychological thriller.
Early in the clip, Taemin is seen running frantically and escaping a creepy-looking dormitory, before he is caught by guards.
But the tables soon turn, as the inhabitants of the dormitory seemingly rise up with him as their leader in cult-like worship. Wearing a feathered headpiece not unlike a crown, he stands above the chaos.
Putting aside the storyline of the video, Taemin’s signature artistic dance style is always a highlight. Guilty’s choreography is particularly spooky, with jerky zombie-like moves that complement the unsettling nature of the song.
But the most memorable part of the dance that has caught the Internet’s attention is the chorus, where Taemin reaches under his shirt to grab his chin and flaunts his abs in the process. – Jan Lee
Chart Champ: Blink-182 – One More Time...
American pop-punk trio Blink-182’s new album, One More Time..., is their most significant release in a while.
It is their first full-length work since singer, guitarist and songwriter Tom DeLonge rejoined the band a little more than a year ago after a seven-year absence.
The album went to No. 1 on the US Billboard charts, a feat they have not achieved since 2016.
Clearly, the band are hyper aware of the fan excitement surrounding the reunion and are only too happy to take the crowd-pleasing route and fall back on their familiar sound.
Tunes such as Anthem Part 3 and Dance With Me have all the qualities of Blink-182 classics – massive hooks, bullet-train drums and fat power chords made for a stadium-rock audience.
Granted, DeLonge’s trademark whiny voice is a lot rougher than before, but his interplay with singer-bassist Mark Hoppus is still laudable.
Like in previous releases, drummer Travis Barker doubles as producer, but also gets his spotlight on hardcore ditty F*** Face, the first Blink-182 track in which he takes on main vocal duties.
With the members now in their late 40s and early 50s, it seems incongruent for them to still be peddling juvenile, sex-related jokes.
Thankfully, the songs are also tempered with introspection, most explicitly in Childhood and One More Time, which reference trials and tribulations such as Hoppus’ battle with cancer. – Eddino Abdul Hadi
Singapore Scene: Dick Lee – Go Your Way
Home-grown singer and composer Dick Lee is back with a new song, released to mark Children’s Day, which fell in early October.
A sentimental and touching piano ballad, Go Your Way is a tribute to his late mother Elizabeth and is dedicated to all parents who “protect, nurture and love their children unconditionally”, he says.
In a statement, Lee, who is directing Singapore Repertory Theatre’s dinner theatre production Por Por’s Big Fat Surprise Wedding, says: “My late mother did just that, embracing me with emotional support and encouragement all through my life, sometimes unknowingly, but always with the best intention of loving her child. I miss her.”
Go Your Way’s nostalgic music video features photos of the singer throughout the years, from black-and-white snaps of him as a baby to more recent pictures, and quite a number feature him with his always-smiling mum. – Eddino Abdul Hadi
Stream This Song: Brent Faiyaz – WY@
American singer Brent Faiyaz is coming to Singapore for his debut show on Feb 1, 2024.
For those unfamiliar with the Afro-Latino artiste, who has been touted as a rising R&B star, the song WY@ is a good place to start.
It is from Larger Than Life, a surprise album that he dropped last Friday.
The song displays all the traits with which Faiyaz made his name in the last few years – a smooth blend of soulful, old school R&B and modern, experimental production.
His velvety voice floats on a slow, hypnotic beat, narrating a tale of toxic love marked by manipulation and short-term gratification.
Larger Than Life is a follow-up to Wasteland, his sophomore album released in 2022 that peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard charts, and features appearances by American rappers Missy Elliott and A$AP Rocky.
Tickets for his Capitol Theatre concert start at $88. Pre-sales for Live Nation members start on Thursday at 10am while general sales start on Friday at 10am via Ticketmaster (go to www.ticketmaster.sg or call 3158-8588) and at SingPost outlets. – Eddino Abdul Hadi
