Showing posts with label FKA Twigs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FKA Twigs. Show all posts

Thursday 3 February 2022

FKA Twigs "Caprisongs" (2022)

 

I'm unsure of where to start, my thoughts on Caprisongs are mostly negative. Coming of the back of the remarkable Magdalene, these seventeen songs feel like a departure from concept, a pivot to the casual that get by with its most memorable contributions coming from other artists. I always want to hear artists try new things, not living in the shadow of what they have mastered but that is never a guarantee of success.

Of course, all of this is highly subjective. My impression of Caprisongs is a socially oriented album, a collection of personal moments. The records pacing is sprinkled with interludes, snippets of conversations with friends and no sense of urgency as many of the numbers take meandering avenues with sparse percussion to move it along with ease. The instrumentals are breezy unions of dreamy synths and snappy, creative drum grooves. Occasionally a little disjointed and experimental they mostly steer towards the safer, trendy modern sounds that are easy to get along with.

In the past I remember much of Twiggs's singing going to traverse interesting places, both individually and with the utility of studio manipulation. On this record however, much of that is void. Her tone and temperament is still charming. The high pitched singing is gorgeous but mostly its tame in comparison. Tame is a word I'd associate with many of this tracks. There isn't a lot of momentum or structure that doesn't dissipate the energy as its often dreamy nature has the music dropping out of moods its barely begun on. Perhaps my expectation are blinding whats on offer.

Either way, I've given it a fair try, after plenty of spins It just doesn't leave an impression. The two moments I most enjoyed most was the collaboration with The Weeknd. The two bounce of eachother well and the song has direction with its kick snare groove guiding us through. The other interesting moment was a recycling of classic 90s lyrics by Olive, "you're not alone, I'll wait till the end of time" on Darjeeling. That sent me down a Ministry Of Sound rabbit hole of memories, which was fun!

Rating: 4/10

Tuesday 24 December 2019

FKA Twiggs "Magdalene" (2019)


After a period of relative inactivity, FKA Twiggs returns with a monumental sophomore album. If I had more time with Magdalene, it could of well been my album of the year. Its a deep and dense record, the instrumentals revel in the Avant-Garde. Ambiguous synthetic noises and percussive abstractions forge beautiful songs through unconvention. Every spin yields magic yet each listen feels like I'm scratching at the surface. Some records are just like this, they let you know you'll be coming back for times to come and maybe one day all there secrets will be unearthed.

Of what I remember, Twiggs had a stunning voice and bags of talent but this time around her vocal articulation feels utterly exceptional. Commanding her chords like a truely classic singer, she is pitch perfect with this undeniable resonance of emotional meaning and outpour. Every note, word, inflection and gasping of her breath feels like an artistic vision manifested. The reverberations and sound design simply further expand her sweet but yet very vulnerable presence at the forefront.

That open wound is felt in her voice but more so in the words of this record which have a strong undercurrent of tragedy, heartbreak and loss bleeding into the moody, reflective atmospheres. The ranges she reaches with the emotive direction is sublime, particularly on the song Fallen Alien, the albums true crescendo. Across these nine songs, everything from these soaring peaks to breathy and ASMR alike voicings has Twiggs giving a remarkable performance that you wont be capable of forgetting.

The albums pacing and tempo is suspended in a limbo. Many of the songs feel like they are leading to something that never comes to fruition but that is simply its point. As a listener you are dangling in this ambiguous space, painted with an ambience that resists obvious melody. Even percussion is drawn to its minimal essential, dressed in echos and shadows. It does finds strides and musters growth on many occasions though, the pairing of Mary Magdalene and Fallen Alien is so satisfying as its brooding of one track bleeds into the next, erupting with claustrophobic climax.

The record does have a hitch with one track. Future turns up for a feature and his Mumble Rap autotune inflections and Trap beat dominates the vibe. It breaks up the flow and feels out of place. Other than that one hiccup, Magdalene feels like a complete experience, an artistic expression that's been meticulously orchestrated. Twiggs will mesmerize with her swaying voice and suck you in to this tender space that you can't look away from. I'm excited to know that this album is far from over, I feel like I'll still be discovering it again and again for years to come. Its magic!

Favorite Tracks: Home With You, Sad Day, Mary Magdalene, Fallen Alien, Daybed
Rating: 9/10

Friday 1 September 2017

FKA Twigs "M3LL155X" (2015)


Two years ago there was quite a buzz around this EP. I saw it mentioned and praised in various places and always meant to give it a spin but it got past my attention span at the time. Given a nudge from a reader I made sure to pick up a copy and give it a whirl. The stylized title of capital letters and numbers is simply "Mellissa", a name for Twigs's self descibed "female energy". Released of the back of her debut LP tour, its the third shorter release but my only point of reference at this point in time.

Melissa is undoubtedly pushing into Experimental and Avant-Garde territory as tropes of generalized Electronica and R&B find themselves deconstructed without a semblance of melody, riff or tune in the instrumentals. Convention is pushed aside in favor of soundscape and atmosphere, intricacies of twisting, glitched, manipulated percussive sounds intertwine to dissimulate groove as illusive rumbles and noises groan and drift in and out of focus. "In Time" makes an exception as a soft synth lead churns a simple two part melody through the opening phase of the song cautiously blossoming with expansive, alien metallic synths.

 These spacious, paranoid atmospheres create a unique contradiction to the flavorful soft, dynamic and powerful voice of Twigs who's seemingly a talented yet somewhat typical R&B singer. In this environment her voice flourishes as a the soul emergence of beauty. Set in a vulnerable, exposed position, the harmony, melodies and expression in her voice becomes the illuminating chemistry that contradicts its juxtaposition to the twisted, shadowy instrumentals rich in ambiguity and illusion. Its continually captivating but the sort of singing that might go unnoticed in the easy going, popular, formulaic construct usually associated with the R&B style. I really enjoyed one moment where the auto tune was turned on as she drops into a spoken, casual dialect "You've got a god damned nerve".

I'm glad I delayed writing this blog post. After ten or so listens I didn't dislike Mellissa but It wasn't doing much for me. Ive often said repetition is key and in the last few days the musical connection really opened up. All Ive described was always there, just in a less emotional context. As the familiarity settled in the chemistry started to blossom. I didn't care much for the lyrics on the record but as I heard her voice more as an instrument It really started to click. Now both her voice and the instrumentals are a real gem. I'm going to keep listening to this one, and pick up her debut LP too! This record is well worth your time if you like more noise and atmosphere driven songs.


Rating: 6/10