Rapid Fire Reviews: Pop VERY Parallel with Tove Lo, Blackpink & Ari Lennox
Dirt Femme - Tove Lo
BORN PINK - Blackpink
While you could argue that at points Tove Lo has maybe been a bit too stylistically trashy to break back into the mainstream, I've always been a big fan of her music regardless. This album Dirt Femme definitely felt like her turning over a new leaf, not in terms of it being a more mainstream effort as her previous record Sunshine Kitty already made that transition. But on the singles leading up to Dirt Femme it felt like Tove Lo had the life and personality back that gave her a breakout hit nearly a decade ago. The lead-up to the record was marked by some killer singles starting with the Euphoria soundtrack cut How Long, probably my favorite Tove Lo song in years and one that I'm very happy made it onto this record. It also delivered the shimmering relationship-examining anthem No One Dies From Love which kicks off the record with an absolute bang. The record is further supplemented with solid singles in both 2 Die 4 and Grapefruit, though the group is spotted by a lone dip with the patience-tasting ballas True Romance. The singles represent 4 of the first 5 songs on the record, with How Long as the closing track, and while they're a pretty good bunch the album was really always gonna be made or broken by the run of 6 deep cuts in between. While that run does have its moments like the First Aid Kit featuring Cute & Cruel and the confessional I'm To Blame, for the most part, it doesn't really live up to the standard set by the singles. This is definitely better than Tove Lo's previous outing and I'm glad about that. I'm even happier that it contains numerous great highlights that are among the best songs of her career. But given what could have been with how good some of those singles are it's hard not to see the record as a bit of a let-down, though if it's a stepping stone on a path to her best project ever then all can certainly be forgiven. 6/10
Sorry blinks, I really am. Much like I observed on their last record when Blackpink is on they are lightyears ahead of their k-pop contemporaries with a genuine earth-shattering intensity to their performances that make them irresistible. But in stark contrast when they swing and miss it can sometimes create some of the worst misses out there and the Blackpink catalog is no stranger to a number of songs so bad I absolutely can't believe were released to the public. Regardless I still pay attention to the girls more than almost any other k-pop act because of that high-end potential. But on BORN PINK the band is swinging, swinging, and swinging and there isn't a hit in sight. I will say I like the record's lead single Pink Venom more than I did when I first heard it. Not that I actually think it's a great song or anything but it does have its infectious moments here and there and when combined with Shut Down it's a decent way to start the record off. Unfortunately, the record finds a number of ways to embarrass itself from there starting with the embarrassing, slang on Typa Girl and carrying onto the awful 2013 synth leads on Yeah Yeah Yeah. Hard To Love is a really overblown lovesick dance song which for some reason comes right next to the self-empowerment ballad The Happiest Girl in the tracklist, which might be the best of the deep cuts despite being an unbelievably simple track. Not only is this the lowest quality of songs Blackpink have ever put out on a studio project, but it also doesn't even deliver on the adventures that you're so often promised with a Blackpink record, with many of these songs sounding extra dated. Maybe the BTS hiatus will inspire an arms race of k-pop acts trying to take their place. If that's so Blackpink had a big head-start on the field and totally squandered it with this record. 3.5/10
age/sex/location - Ari Lennox
I've always liked Ari Lennox even when it's felt more like she's a hook-singer-for-hire by Dreamville records rather than an artist they are putting time and effort into developing. But once I looked back on the last couple years of Ari's career it really does feel like she's approaching a breakout and that had me really hyped for this record. The record gets started with a pair of more classical R&B slow-burners that I didn't love at first but I've grown to like more and more with each re-listens. But it's after that where the real fun starts with a pair of pretty irresistible bangers in Waste My Time and the single I've been bumping since last year, Pressure. The record also bets quite a bit on the 5-minute duet between Ari and Lucky Daye, Boy Bye. While there are parts of the song that are no doubt hilarious and some great one liners I also think it gets a bit tedious all things considered. Surprisingly though shortly after that in the tracklist there's a deep cut that's easily as good as any of the singles in the charismatic and irresistible Outside. I can also say I like the record's other two collaborations, Leak It with Chloe and Queen Space with Summer Walker quite a bit. While I don't think age/sex/location is necessarily one of those genre-defining R&B records it has all the wit and honesty I was hoping for as Ari explores the themes of love and lust all throughout the tracklist. Even in the saturated world of modern R&B this record has a consistency that any fans of the genre should be able to appreciate, if you somehow haven't heard it already. 7/10
