1. Die For You by LÉON
After nearly 10 months of anticipation, LÉON’s sophomore album Apart is finally here. It’s a gorgeous record offering the whole spectrum of goodies – from stripped-back ballads like Falling Apart and Tell Me (exceptional, truly), to dance bops like Who You Lovin’ and Crazy/Stupid.
I'll admit that I don’t have this new collection on obsessive replay the way I did her debut, but I think that’s mostly because 1) she released three of the album’s strongest singles prior to, and 2) this album doesn’t succeed in setting itself apart from her first – though that doesn’t need to be a criticism. After all, her debut was phenomenal, and these new songs seamlessly blend in with the old ones we’ve come to love.
There is one new standout on Apart, though, that I want to highlight this week: Die For You. Were it composed or sung by anyone else, its lyrics might make it just another tacky love song. But it’s the instrumentation (especially those godsent strings) and the emotional quality of LÉON’s voice that keeps it from being so. It’s certainly the album’s most dramatic track (to be expected given the title) and the harmony-backed crescendo of the chorus sounds nothing short of grand.
2. Disco Dancing by Namy, Ayoni
Sticking with new female pop favourites, Ayoni (whose debut album I recently wrote about here) has slayed once again with her new single Disco Dancing. If you’re in the mood for a groove, this should be on full blast.
The track had Ayoni team up with Japanese DJ/Producer Namy, known for his funky, 80s-inspired production. But the song’s rhythm and melody alone – catchy as they are – don't make it special. For its real allure, Ayoni’s enormous vocals deserve all credit.
3. New President by Mt. Joy
And now for some folk rock! Perfectly timed for the U.S. election tomorrow, Mt. Joy has released a chorale for the occasion: New President. Who knows if this song will still hit as hard in a few years, but right now it feels like exactly what we all need to hear.
Its message is so earnest and simple --- “We need a new president and we should fall in love again" --- I couldn’t stop smiling the first time I heard it. Two minutes in, the song takes off and the repetitive cries of Matt Quinn make for a proper protest anthem – “We’re gonna march down this boulevard / We’re gonna tear down these fascist clowns." (Here's hoping.)
4. Ballad of Lou the Welterweight by Wesley Schultz
Finally, as if this past Friday weren’t generous enough, Wesley Schultz added a surprise album of covers to the mix of new releases. (I wrote about one of them, Bell Bottom Blues, a few weeks ago, not knowing it was soon to be part of an entire collection of gems.)
It’s a hauntingly intimate record, one I’ve kept coming back to over the past few days because of the comfort of such a familiar and full voice. And there’s one song in particular that has struck a special chord: Ballad of Lou the Welterweight. Unlike the original, sung by The Felice Brothers with a loose frailty (I’m not at all a fan), Schultz’s cover feels grounded.
“I envisioned this album as if you had all these songs represented by little houses on a street, and then a tornado ripped through the town and tore them all the way down to the studs and foundation," Schultz described a few days ago, "...that’s what you’d have with every one of these songs after I re-imagined them. I was also trying to create something that doesn’t ask anything from the listener – it’s simply a companion, a friend in both good times and bad.” Much needed these days.
Listen on Spotify to all 'Songs of the Week' here.
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