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Smack dab in the middle of the decade, 1975 was the polyester peak of the "70s, the year that captured all the glorious excesses of the Me Decade. Elton John presided over the pop charts -- his pull so powerful he could help give Neil Sedaka, that old pro who last topped the charts in the years before the Beatles, not one but two number ones -- and he ruled a year that saw Morris Albert sing about his feelings, a year where Captain & Tennille preached that "Love Will Keep Us Together," a year where Glen Campbell was a "Rhinestone Cowboy," and a year where everybody was "Kung Fu Fighting." It was such a gaudy, glitzy surface that it seemed like nothing might exist underneath, which is naturally the time that a lot of interesting things are happening.If you"ve followed Matthew Dear over the years, then you know he doesn"t like to stay in one place for very long. Even as a primarily electronic artist in the early 2000s, Dear hopped from label to label, switched aliases often, and made everything from steely microhouse to harder Detroit techno. But his biggest departure was 2007"s Asa Breed, the record where he stepped out from behind the decks and reached for the mic. Black City is a consolidation of the strengths displayed through his career, and could be his best record to date.
When Arcade Fire turned the all-or-nothing intensity of Funeral outward on Neon Bible, otherwise propulsive songs were bogged down by the occasional overblown arrangement or pedantic political statement. You"d figure an album bluntly called The Suburbs that focuses on The Way We Live might repeat some of Neon Bible"s worst tendencies. Instead, it"s a satisfying return to form, proof that Arcade Fire can still make grand statements without sounding like they"re carrying the weight of the world. The bulk of The Suburbs focuses on quiet desperation borne of compounding the pain of wasting your time as an adult by romanticizing the wasted time of your youth. But as bleak as the lyrics are, they"re buoyed by the band"s leanest, loosest songwriting yet.
The New Orleans rapper"s long and strange career path leads to this lush, languid, and inviting LP. Like friend and frequent collaborator Wiz Khalifa, Curren$y has become one of the dominant voices in the rap underground by making a form of unassuming stoner-rap that owes virtually nothing to J Dilla. And with Pilot Talk, he gets his moment. Pilot Talk finds Curren$y working almost exclusively with 90s New York producer Ski Beatz-- an unexpected but inspired collaborative pairing. Musically, Pilot Talk is a warm, low-key affair. Ski"s tracks can be breathtakingly gorgeous without ever getting in Curren$y"s way.
California"s Bethany Cosentino delivers on the promise of her noisy early singles with a richer-sounding album that highlights the power of her voice. While retaining her knack for pining pop hooks and lovesick lyrics, Crazy for You finds Cosentino expanding her scope ever so slightly: The album is a meditation on the stickier hooks of classic indie pop, with slight detours into surf-rock and countrypolitan balladry, and is gorgeously produced, slathering honey over every song and letting them drip-dry in the sunshine.
On his third album, the influential R&B singer/songwriter comes into his own as an album artist, getting over on his impeccable sense of craft. Here, it no longer feels as if The-Dream is splitting the difference between his pop star ambition and a large cult of admirers. With Love King, he"s broken down the detachment that made him such a popular songwriter to follow his personal musical vision, and it"s taken him to a place only he could find.