Dirty Computer (#525)

Hi,

okay, I'm writing this quickly tonight.

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Kevin Abstract : Fan times.
• QTY : Discovery context. Tbh their album "QTY" is not my cup of tea. 
• Pish : Unfortunately LAST.FM doesn't accept the artist tag Pish - so no cover. In other news: I've listened to his self-titled album again.
• Confidence Man : Fan times.
• The Weeknd : Fan times.

Most played artists:

• Janelle Monáe : New album alert. "Dirty Computer" sounds awesome!
• The Tide : Discovery context. "Young Love" - standard teen pop.
• DMA'S : New album alert. "For Now" - very good.
• Drangsal : New album alert. "Zores" - good.

Most played tracks:

• DMA'S - Dawning : What a great track. Try it.

News?

█ Janelle Monáe's latest music video "I Like That" continues to prove that she has a brilliant art design team. Amazing visuals.
█ Have you heard about the scandalous Echo Award? Well, relax, that won't happen again anytime soon, because the German music industry decided to end this annual event.
█ Shawn Mendes has revealed the cover artwork of his upcoming new (self-titled) album. It looks "interesting"? Tbh I often don't understand why artists would decide to name an album after themselves.

New in the German charts:

[01] Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa - One Kiss : Wow.
[02] Ariana Grande - No Tears Left To Cry : Wow.
[07] Summer Cem - Tamam Tamam : Idc.
[09] David Guetta & Sia - Flames : Idc.

No Tears Left To Cry (#524)

Hi,

no hard feelings for another slight delay... anyway...

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Hinds : New album alert. "I Don't Run" lost me after a few tracks tbh. :/
• Sofi Tukker : Fan times. Despite a slightly mixed review I've read I think "Treehouse" is strong.
• Chrome Sparks : New album alert. Well, "Chrome Sparks" is not my cup of tea.
• Princess Nokia : New album alert. "A Girl Cried Red" does not sound like hip-hop, but that doesn't matter. What matters to me though, is that it's not really convincing.
• Toree : New album alert. Hm, no, I really can't stand his voice (or at least the production version of it) on "Symbiosis".

Most played artists:

• Taylor Swift : I revisited "Reputation" to get my head around her latest tunes. Tbh I can't tell you which of her albums stands out... because they all have their flaws. But the singles are chosen wisely in many cases.
• Gin Wigmore : Discovery context. Her latest record "Ivory" sounds good - mostly because of her voice, which reminds me of Elle King a little.
• Confidence Man : Fan times. I guess, I could consider myself a fan... at least I'm repeating the album.
• bazzi : Discovery context. I went through his debut album "Cosmic", but I guess I'm too old to enjoy his music.

Most played tracks:

• Sufjan Stevens - Futile Devices (Doveman Remix) : What haunting tune. So lovely. Due to the fact that we could see "Call Me By Your Name" in local cinemas, finally, I got hooked on all three Sufjan songs from the soundtrack.

News?

█ It's been quite a long time in the making - and now it had its world premiere: Tina The Musical.
█ Ariana Grande made her comeback with a new single. "No Tears Left To Cry" sounds very good - thanks to producer Max Martin. And Dave Meyers also keeps the Taylor Swift vibe going - with an amazingly dreamy video. Let's see what's next for her upcoming fourth album.
█ Zayn released a video for "Let Me" - and though it might fit the theme of the song, I just think it looks ridiculous. Tbh I don't see him as a true artist - more like singing instagram model maybe. :P
█ The 2018 Billboard Music Awards now have a host. The show will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 20 - and be hosted by Kelly Clarkson.
█ German hip-hop is still going strong - with Ufo361's "808" topping the German album charts. Revolverhed come in 2nd.

New in the German charts:

[01] Marshmello & Anne-Marie - Friends : Okay, seems to connect with poeple.
[06] Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa - One Kiss : What a difference the collaboration artist makes. I guess, if Rihanna was singing this song, I wouldn't like it that much. :P
[09] Drake - Nice For What : Sorry, but I don't get it. Why is a nice sample and a bunch of famous women enough for all this charts impact?
[10] Dennis Lloyd - Nevermind : Hm, nice pop tune. Quite simple.

Barbie Tingz (#523)

Hi,

oh, what times do we live in? I'm trying not to think about it too much... and I'm still on my way to discover new things, which won't necessarily be part of the charts.

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Confidence Man : New album alert. I really like "Confident Music For Confident People", because it features so many nice tunes. 
• Sofi Tukker : New album alert. "Treehouse" collects 10 lovely songs, that could all have been singles. And most of the tracks feel fresh and... kinky. :P
• Ufo361 : New album alert. The parts of "808", I was listening to, did not leave me optimistic about his kind of music.
• The Black Seeds : Tbh I'm not sure, if the album "Fabric" can still be called new - but I am sure, that I won't revisit it anytime soon. :/
• Saint Etienne : I've listented to the "Dive - EP"... yep.

Most played artists:

• Mashrou' Leila : Discovery context. "Ibn Ek Leil" sounds strong - although I could not understand anything.
• Manic Street Preachers : New album alert. "Resistance Is Futile" should not disappoint fans. Even I found some nice tracks on it.
• Cristobal And The Sea : Discovery context. Judging from a nice song and a crazy album cover artwork I had quite high expactations for "Exitoca". But they weren't met. :/

Most played tracks:

• Nicki Minaj - Barbie Tingz : What a banger. I may not be an expert on rhyme quality and stuff, but this track took me by surprise. And I really like it.
• Florence + The Machine : New single alert. "Sky Full Of Song" marks the first glimpse of the upcoming 4th studio album, which is to be released in a few months. Tbh I'm a bit disappointed, because of its mellow structure. But then again... it's not like I'm happy with all songs by Florence.
  (Yeah, you could call me a critic again...)

News?

█ Janelle Monáe was joined by Grimes for a new song called "Pynk". And what a provoking music video! I guess she is pushing boundaries there.
█ Cardi B seems to have a lot promotion dates these days. Not only did she co-host a late night show with Jimmy Fallon, but she also had a nice web session with GQ.
█ Diplo released a video for "Color Blind" featuring Lil Xan, which suits the song very well. Just like the song the video seems simple at first, but comes off as quite effective.
█ I'm quite impressed to see Thirty Seconds To Mars at the top of the German album charts, because no pre-single could convince me. And Kylie's "Golden" made it to number 3.

New in the German charts:

[01] Capital Bra - 5 Songs in einer Nacht : Oh no. Just no. I can't stand it. Thanks to our young generation, who likes such kind of gangster rap.
[04] Katja Krasavice - Dicke Lippen : You know, there's a group in Germany, which likes to predict the end times of our culture - because of immigration. Now please have a listen to this "culture". (Oh no².)
[06] Sun Diego - Eloah : Oh no, no3. A third hit song, I could happily live without. Where do those artists come from. I've never heard of Sun Diego, and I hope I won't anytime soon. (Although the instrumentals are nice.)
[09] Luis Fonsi & Demi Lovato - Échame La Culpa : Consider me devastated after 4 songs like this. Demi might have sung "I don't wanna fight anymore"... but I'm thinking about "don't wanna live anymore", if charts continue to attract such crappy music. (And now I'm hiding in my cave again.)

Call Out My Name (#522)

Hi,

oops, I'm a bit late again. But sleep is definitely more important to me than a journal like this. 

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Slotface : Research context. I've listened to "Try Not To Freak Out", but it did not convince me. (Sorry)
• The Lone Bellow : Research context. "Walk Into A Storm" won't be in my playlists anytime soon. :/
• Pish : Promotion context. So, not only is his single "Crime" the current song of the week at Radio LOHRO, but we also had the chance to listen to his self-titled album, which should be released in May. It features fun indie pop.
• The Attic Sleepers : Fan times.
• snny : What an odd name. However, his EP "Learning To Swim" sounds great.

Most played artists:

• The War On Drugs : Fan times. "A Deeper Understanding" has become an important addition to my music library.
• Kylie Minogue : New album alert. Wow, that first songs of "Golden" seemed really hard to go through. After one spin I can say, that I expected much more.
• Autonomics : Research context. I finally got to listen to all the songs of "Debt Sounds". Nice rock tunes.
• The Boxer Rebellion : New album alert. When you know the background of "Ghost Alive", you'll understand that most of the tracks are mellow. I think I will need some time to get to now the new music more.

Most played tracks:

• Steve Aoki & Loopers - Pika Pika : What a fun track. Also the music video features nice visuals.

News?

█ Tyler The Creator's new track "OKRA" received some buzz because of its quick production. But tbh I think that you can easily hear that there war some rush involved.
█ After last month's single chart success it should not be a surprise to see Azet's "Fast Life" top the German album charts. In other news: I'm happy for MC Bomber reaching #5 and, of course, for The Weeknd's new EP "My Dear Melancholy," to be welcomed so well in many regions (#7). 

New in the German charts:

[07] The Weeknd - Call Out My Name : Yay, finally some good music among the top ten.
[10] Sean Paul & David Guetta - Mad Love (feat. Becky G) : WTF!? That's so redundant - in so many ways. Why do we need to pay attention to Sean Paul anymore?

Pika Pika (#521)

Hi,

what crazy Easter week I've had. For some time I was in a music discovery spree, which had a little to do with my disc space. So I heard quite many albums, as you will see...
In other news: this week will see me having another DJ gig, that I'm quite excited about. :)

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Michael Malarkey : Discovery context. I was rushing through some 2017 album, that I didn't manage to check out earlier. If you ask me, the only decent track on "Mongrels" is "I Just Want You"... :-/
• Kim Churchill : Discovery context. "Weight Falls" sounds like the music you would expect from a lively surfer dude. On the downside there are hardly any highlights to point out.
• Inheaven : Discovery context. Their self-titled album did not convince me much. :/
• Filthy Friends : Discovery context. "Invitation" has a nice cover artwork... and that's all I want to say about it.
• Corbin : Discovery context. "Mourn"... meh... I don't care about it, actually. 

Most played artists:

• Kate Nash : New album alert. "Yesterday Was Forever" - her fourth record - sounds quite nice. My favorite tracks are "Drink About You" and "Karaoke Kiss".
• Kevin Abstract : Hype alert. I'm happy that this kind of music did not pass me by. Tbh I like this much more than Frank Ocean.
• The Voidz : New album alert. I'm no expert in this field, but I'd say "Virtue" sounds like the band wanted to experiment a lot - and it has its noisy parts.

Most played tracks:

• The Weeknd - Hurt You (feat. Gesaffelstein) : New EP alert. "My Dear Melancholy," came as a total surprise for me. And it marks some kind of departure from the mainstream pop direction, the artist was approaching with the last two albums. It has this "back to the roots" feeling - slow and sad R'n'B tracks. Lovely. And "Hurt You" is my favorite. (Btw. what odd name is Gesaffelstein?)
• Steve Aoki & Loopers - Pika Pika : New single alert. After tons of Aoki tracks, that I could not stand, this one comes across a little less annoying, though a friend already disagreed with my opinion. I'm not sure, whether I might include it in a DJ playlist.

News?

█ The Weeknd released a new EP and no music video can be found yet. I hope this will change soon.
█ I was shocked when I took a look at the German album charts - the top three spots ... are not only not my cup of tea, but also nothing I would recommend to anyone.

New in the German charts:

[05] Shawn Mendes - In My Blood : Ha! What did I tell you? I had this feeling about this one becoming a hit. Now let's see if number 5 is the best it can do. Apart from that - I'm still not really convinced by the song.
[09] Ramz - Barking : Okay, here we have something new. Tbh it sounds like a British version of Post Malone. After some research I found out that the song was written quickly and that the chorus features quite some slang. I'm not sure, what to think of it at this moment.
[10] Justin Timberlake - Say Something (feat. Chris Stapleton) : It just took about two months for this track to climb this far. And I'm happy for that, because that's the kind of music, I'd like to reach the top ten.