HR Asia — January 2018

MAROON 5

RED PILLS BLUES

Despite the title, this album
has nothing to do with the
controversial Men’s Right
Activist. Staying true to the
classic Maroon 5’s matter of
composition, the tracks will
again gravitate around the
theme of love and coitus but
the overarching style of the
album differs from anything
that they have done before:
R&B fused pop. For the
captivating sounding virtuoso,
Adam Levine and his band of 23 years old, the large leap in the direction
of this album is quintessential to ensure their music stays relevant after
the fl op of Cold early this year. The highlight of this si[th studio album is
perhaps What Lovers Do, featuring the R&B’s new princess, SZA.

1989 (KOMPAKT)

KÖLSCH

The album may bear the same
name of Taylor Swift’s but to
K|lsch, 18 signifi es a year
of despair for his adolescent
self. His family strife had
caused him to turn to music
as a means of escapism. In
this third instalment of his
autobiographical album, the
encapsulation of despondency
and anguish is overt especially
through the track Grey. While
the album is meant to sway your
emotion, K|lsch’s attention to technical details does not disappoint. The
tenth’s track, Khairo was particularly da]]ling. The piece was conducted
by Gregor Schwellenbach and the strings were performed by the Heritage
Orchestra, creating a harmonious ensemble. The interlacing of forlorn
melodies and techno rhythm is fresh and ultimately, is to able demonstrate
Kölsch’s ability as a diverse composer.

ASCENDING A

MOUNTAIN OF

HEAVY LIGHT

THE BODY AND

FULL OF HELL

For those who fi nd catharsis in

the coagulation of misanthropic

lyrics and emotions, insane drum

beats and unforgiving guitar

strums, Ascending a Mountain of

Heavy Light is ready to assault

your eardrums. Whenever the

two heavy-music prolifi c artists,

The Body and Full of Hell work

together, the result have always

been e[ceptional. Each band is so different in their own terms, but what is

interesting about their collaboration is the ability of the two to e[periment

with their music, fi nding commonality amidst the blast of visceral head-

banging music. 'idn’t the 1ight End is such an oddly satisfying piece – the

weight of The Body’s spunk and Full of Hell‘s into[icating shrills are so

overwhelming that any of the feint hearted could be easily drowned in it.

MASSEDUCTION

ST. VINCENT

Intimate, dark and beautiful,

Masseduction easily triumphs

Anne Clark’s (pseudonym:

St.Vincent) other two albums.

No more following the mandate

of mainstream pop culture, in

this album, Clark plays with

a more comple[ indie rock

arrangement embroidered

with threads of funk and

electropop. Her lyrics can be

intimidating to some for it bear

truths, all coming from her own

e[perience. Through her lyrics, she is wittingly using imageries to start

a discourse on emotional comple[ities of suicidal thoughts, substance

abuse, power and critiques on the conservative view of gender and

se[uality. /et it be a melancholic ode or robotic synth beats, Clark’s slinky

stellar voice seems to be the perfect accompaniment to all her songs.

I DON’T BELIEVE

WE’VE MET

DANIELLE BRADBERY

Four years after her debut

album, the winner of The

Voice season four is now

back in the country scene

with the aim to introduce her

more mature self. In June,

she teased fans with the

album’s centrepiece Sway.

The song literally makes you

want to sway with its upbeat

pop-country melody and slight

hue of R&B sound. Messy,

one that Bradbery wrote herself also paints the picture of relationship

perfectly, illustrating how much she has grown in terms of her ability to

pen down beautiful lyrics and creating sweet tunes for her audience.

CARRY FIRE

ROBERT PLANT

The frontman of one of the
world’s most infl uential rock
band (i.e. /ed =eppelin) is
now back with his 11th solo
album. Overall, Carry Fire is a
rich concoction of folk, blues,
classic rock and world music.
The fi rst track, The May
Queen is so refreshing that it
doesn’t just make you feel like
you are at an African safari,
it also reminds you of old
cowboy movie soundtracks.
The unpredictability of the tracks and how they are stacked together
creates a roller-coaster ride for the ear. In terms of vocal performance,
despite being 69, his amazing voice is still as spine-tingling as ever.
Although he has indubitably lost his popular high-key howling, the
reverberation of his voice seeps deeper into one’s ear with age.

LISTEN

L I F E!