Promises (#546)

Hi,

so it's been another crazy week for me - crazy as in busy. Anyway, despite some heavy work load and a bunch of freetime activities I managed to listen to music - most of it was from 2017, though. And I shouldn't forget my latest DJ stint. It was short, but my team had fun - and that's the most important thing. My next opportunity should be in late November. :)

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Wesley Fuller : Discovery context. "Inner City Dream" is almost a year old and features funky retro vibes.
• Kelela : Discovery context. Her 2017 album "Take Me Apart" has some really nice R&B on it.
• Awaken I Am : Discovery context. I was listening to their 2017 album "Blind Love" and I think I will give their music another try.
• Rationale : Discover context. His self-titled album also is from 2017, but tbh it could not really convince me.
• Yumi Zouma : Discovery context. "Willowbank" was okay, if you ask me.
• Metric : New album alert. I was surprised by the amount of long tracks on "Art Of Doubt", and some of them felt quite fresh. Maybe I'll check that out one more time soon.

Most played artists:

• BROCKHAMPTON : New album alert. I wish I could praise "Iridescence" more, but after a first listening session it left me confused - maybe because of its complexity. Idk. I guess I was hoping for a bit more catchy stuff like on the solo album by Kevin Abstract.
• Elijah Blake : Research context. His 2017 album "Audiology" features nice R&B, but I was just mildly amused.
• Chase Atlantic : Research context. Their self-titled 2017 album sounds interesting. I guess I will revisit it soon.

Most played tracks:

• Calvin Harris & Sam Smith - Promises : Hm, this must be one of the few Sam Smith tracks, that I have on repeat.

News?

█ Reports say that Maroon 5 will play at the next Super Bowl Halftime Show. Hm, this band certainly had a few hit songs, but I'm not hyped at all. :-P
█ Congratulations to Alligatoah for reaching the top of the German album charts with "Schlaftabletten, Rotwein V", because he prevented PUR getting there. :-P

New in the German charts:

[01] Bonez MC & RAF Camora - Kokain (feat. Gzuz) : Oh, look who is back at the top again. I can understand, why catchy rap tunes like this are popular these days. But tbh this duo had better tracks.
[03] Loredana & Mozzik - Bonnie & Clyde : Hm, tbh I don't find it that much original. But hey, at least there's some more female vocals on autotune-infused hip-hop tracks. Does anyone know, what's the second language of the song? Seems like it could be Albanian. Unfortunately the theme seems very gangster-like.
[07] Bushido - Mephisto : Hey, why not some more German hip-hop among the top ten? Anyway, even though there might be quite some dark storytelling involved, this epic 10 minute track does not convince me.  
[10] Kanye West & Lil Pump - I Love It (feat. Adele Givens) : Uhm, no, thanks. That's not my cup of tea.

Teleskop (#545)

Hi,

oops, sorry for the delay. In return I have collected some more news this time.

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• BTS : Hype alert, since they seem to be all over US media these days. But maybe that's just my customized news feed. :)
• You Me At Six : Promotion context. Since the new album "VI" will come out soon, I wanted to listen to some track once more.
• First Aid Kit : New release alert. I guess the new "Tender Offerings" EP should please fans.
• Ben Howard : New release alert. The "Another Friday / Hot Heavy Summer / Sister" single (or EP) has some nice mellow songs on it.
• To Many Zooz & KDA : New release alert. "So Real (Warriors)" features vocals by Jess Glynne, so I was curious, of course. It's nice to hear her on a more uptempo electro song.
• Black Eyed Peas : New release alert. "Big Love" marks another step in the direction that was abandoned when David Guetta was involved. :P 

Most played artists:

• Roosevelt : Promotion context + fan times.
• HONNE : Fan times.
• Jungle : New album alert. "For Ever" continues to elaborate the sound, that you would expect from this band. 

Most played tracks:

[nothing to highlight here]

News?

█ Nicki Minaj released a new music video. "Barbie Dreams" already earned some buzz as part of her latest album "Queen", because she referenced a lot of male rap artist. Now it's getting even more media because of a colorful video with... muppets. But I'm not sure what to think of her looks. Of course, it's an easy way to get attention, but I think she could also set a statement by not always showing this much skin.
█ Sofi Tukker teamed up with Pabllo Vittar for "Energia (Parte 2)" - and boy, that track is filled with energy. The music video was shot in sunny spots of Portugal.
█ Brooke Candy seems to have felt the need for lots of feature support. Or how else can you explain it, when Pussy Riot, Mykki Blanco and MNDR do their contribution for a single song? The video for "My Sex" looks a bit explicit, but creative at the same time.
█ OK, let me just briefly mention the new Mariah Carey single "GTFO", that has a music video with glossy visuals... because that is exactly everything good I can tell about this mediocre song. But hey, how long has it been, since she last released decent music?
█ Hayley Kiyoko's new music video not only features Kehlani, "What I Need" was also directed by her and tells a story about doubts of having a relationship.
█ Die Kerzen is a band, that's sort of from my neighborhood and they make very nice music. Just check out their new video "Teleskop". What a fun bunch of musicians.
█ Have you ever heard of Shinhwa? Well, now that I am getting to know a bit more KPop in my life, I have learned that this one of the few acts, that can celebrate their 20th anniversary. (wow) So in case, you were wondering how a boy groups with members almost in their 40s may look and sing, check out their latest video "Kiss Me Like That". I have to admit that I was a bit shocked of how weak the song sounds. (I imagined them to have some sort of quality control.) Anyway, maybe it's just that one track. Their latest "special album" or mini album / EP "Heart" was released just a few weeks ago. And they are going on tour in October.
█ Lana Del Rey released a new single/video. "Mariners Apartment Complex" may look and sound simple, but I find it beautiful - maybe just because of that fact. It seems so grounded.
█ Richard Ashcroft announced a new album. "Natural Rebel" will come out on October 19. The first single "Surprised By The Joy" has a big retro vibe and the music video shows some nice England impressions (including a retro car).
█ Paul McCartney made it to the top of the German album charts. Eminem could rise to number 2 (in his second week) and then there are the new entries Lenny Kravitz and... Kay One. :-/

New in the German charts:

[05] Calvin Harris - Promises (feat. Sam Smith) : I knew that it would be good for Sam Smith to try some more uptempo songs. And there you have it. Nice song, nice video, nice attitude.

Queens (#544)

Hi,

okay, I just came back from Berlin, where I went on my first festival in ages. Lollapalooza 2018 was a great experience - thanks to such amazing acts like Sofi Tukker, The Weeknd, Giant Rooks and Dua Lipa. So I feel good... but also tired.

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• Shotty : Discovery context. But tbh his self-titled album could not convince me.
• Lenny Kravitz : New album alert. "Raise Vibration" might please fans, but I would say that it hardly achieves much more, just like the previous album.
• We Are Scientists : Discovery context. I've listened to "Megaplex" and it was okay.
• Iffy Orbit : Discovery context. Well, their album "Slow Times" is not my cup of tea.
• Circa Survive : Discovery context. Their album "The Amulet" kind of turned one year these days. And I finally found some time to give it a try. I didn't like it much.
• Dashboard Confessional : Discovery context. Well, I guess I won't listen to "Crooked Shadows" again anytime soon.

Most played artists:

• BTS : Fan times. Now that they are touring the US, I feel a bit sad about not being able to attend one of their concerts in Germany. :(
• Alligatoah : Promotion context. His new album "Schlaftabletten, Rotwein V" is about to be released and I was lucky to listen to it. However, I didn't like much of it.
• Roosevelt : Fan times. I feel so blessed to have the new songs already all around.
• A R I Z O N A : Discovery context. And yes, let me go there... What an odd band name! But their 2017 debut album "GALLERY" sounds quite good. But the latest singles of 2018 are even better, if you ask me.

Most played tracks:

[nothing to highlight here]

News?

█ The Blaze released a new video - just in time for the release of their debut album "Dancehall". "Queens" once again creates an intense atmosphere. Depending on your state of mind you may feel melancholic after watching it.
█ Lots of things happened in the German album charts. "1982" by Marteria & Casper went to the top, Die Lochis only made it to number three.

New in the German charts:

[09] Dardan - Facetime : I sort of didn't even need to listen to the song to have an opinion. And unfortunately all my worries were proven to be true. The song just feeds clichés.

Dancehall (#543)

Hi,

so because of some more freetime this week, I can happily get this entry done earlier than in my wildest dreams. :)

Last week in covers:

Noteworthy:

• HONNE : New album alert. "Love Me / Love Me Not" is a great album with quite a big range of sounds. So it's a bit hard to put it in a category for me.
• Das Paradies : New album alert. "Goldene Zukunft" should amaze anyone, who likes Die Höchste Eisenbahn.
• Nicki Minaj : New album hype. I'm quite happy with "Queen".
• Troye Sivan : New album alert. OK, so here we have it. "Bloom" (with only 10 tracks) sounds okay. It's getting positive reviews, but I still need to get my head around it.
• The Blaze : Promotion context. If you like any song by this band, you should definitely check out the debut album "Dancehall", which comes out this Friday.

Most played artists:

• BTS : New album hype. What can I say? I'm hooked. I recently had a chance to talk about this KPop group and the scene itself, which was fun.
• The Kooks : New album alert. Tbh I did not expect "Let's Go Sunshine" to be so catchy - at least the first half of the album. Nice indie tunes.
• Parcels : Promotion context. Their self-titled debut album won't be out until October 12, but as a music editor I was lucky to get a promotional copy.
• Roosevelt : Promotion context. I can't wait for you all to listen to "Young Romance", the second Roosevelt album, which comes out on September 28. I can already tell you that this will be on my best of 2018 list.

Most played tracks:

• BTS - Answer : Love Myself : I don't know how they keep doing this, but the latest release of BTS's Love Yourself era kind of delivers the best parts. All 7 new tracks are very good. And this is no exception.

News?

█ In a recent interview HONNE stated, that they have contact to RM from BTS and that there might be a collaboration soon.
█ Tbh I was surprised to hear that Clueso topps the German album charts with "Handgepäck I", which collects songs that were written over the years on tour. 

New in the German charts:

[02] Bonez MC & RAF Camora - Risiko : Wow, this one sounds surprisingly deep. I guess, this must be the difference between mediocre autotune-infused hip-hop about success plus self-praise and music with a message. (Just my opinion.)
[10] Bausa - Vagabund : Uhm, no, thanks.