Real Ladies: Gaga promises hits, Selena Gomez — love
Lady Gaga — Mayhem
The most anticipated musical novelty of March is, without a doubt, Lady Gaga's album — Mayhem. This is not to say that the singer has been silent in recent years, not at all. She released soundtracks for films (in particular, for the sequel "Joker", where she herself played the main female role), collaborations with jazz legend Tony Bennett. But all this was infinitely far from what the whole world loved her for back in the noughties.
In her sensational debut The Fame and its sequel The Fame Monster, Stephanie Germanotta (Gaga's real name) demonstrated an explosive mix of catchy motifs, powerful electronics and extravagance throughout the entourage.
To this day, her Poker Face, Alejandro, and Bad Romance sound impressive and can be considered exemplary examples of hits. Later, Lady Gaga also had decent electropop songs, although it's hard to say that she surpassed these things. But she seemed less and less willing to move in that direction.
And suddenly, in the singles Disease and Abracadabra, the same Gaga who tore up dance floors 15 years ago returns to us. The same applies to the visual range of the clips: provocative buffoonery and crazy outfits make you remember the times of the artist's collaboration with the late Alexander McQueen and shed a tear of nostalgia. However, after listening to fresh tracks for two or three hours, you find yourself thinking that you've already forgotten their melodies (and you'll sing Bad Romance right away). But I want to believe that there are still enough trumps among the 14 numbers on the track list. Whether it's true or not, we'll find out this week.
Jethro Tull — Curious Ruminant
Returning in 2022 after almost a quarter-century of hiatus and releasing the album The Zealot Gene, British prog rockers Jethro Tull seem to be trying to catch up. In 2023, the CD RökFlöte was released, and less than two years later, a new playlist arrived.
Band leader Ian Anderson promises that the new songs will be more personal and sincere. However, it is difficult to feel this for the two already published singles, as well as in principle to see any changes compared to the usual style of Jethro Tull. Anderson's insinuating voice still sounds accompanied by a wide variety of instrumental motifs with a distinct taste of folk, and it does not work out to see confessional sentiments here.
On the other hand, it would be strange to expect some drastic changes from a band that will turn 60 in a couple of years (yes, not all in one roll!). And the fans don't need to. Rather, they want to make sure over and over again that Anderson's vocals and flute sound the same as before, and any external changes — for example, the invitation of guitarist Jack Clark to the band — do not particularly affect the overall style and character of the material.
Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the unpublished songs differ from the singles and contain some surprises. For example, what can you expect from a Drink From the Same Well lasting as long as 17 minutes? Riddle. But, most likely, this Friday we will hear just another album of rock legends. And that's a lot.
Izvestia sent a request to Yandex Music asking to clarify whether new items from Lady Gaga and Jethro Tull will be available on the platform.
Selena Gomez & Benny Blanco — I Said I Love You First
The cutest, most mimetic, nifty album of the month is a collaboration between Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco. The whole world followed the novel of the strange couple. At first, it seemed that this seemingly ridiculous dude with a shock of curly hair and a stupid mustache was a completely unsuitable partner for a Disney princess. Millions of Gomez's followers were nostalgic for the days when she was with handsome Justin Bieber, and wondered what the superstar found in Benny. But it was with him that the unhappy girl suddenly blossomed and began to enjoy life carefree. And as the months went by, the gossips made fun of everything, and the idyll continued. And when, finally, the lovers announced their decision to seal their relationship with marriage, it became clear that everything was really serious here.
Benny gave Selena an engagement ring, but the musical confirmation of his intentions turned out to be the album I Said I Love You First, entirely dedicated to the novel. She sings, he produces. However, generalizations should be made with caution.
The track list has not yet been published, it is only known that it contains 14 numbers. We only heard two of them, one shorter than the other. But if all the material is in the same spirit, then naive, cloudless, quiet music awaits us, filled to the brim with comfort and tender touching romance.
You don't have to wait for dance hits, even though Finneas O'Connell, Billy Eilish's brother and constant collaborator, worked on one of the published compositions. And, by the way, Benny Blanco himself is a prominent producer who helped create songs for many artists of the first echelon. But it seems that he wanted something else here: to create the perfect record for a honeymoon. His own, of course.
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The whole Stravinsky
The Moscow Philharmonic continues its grandiose (designed for seven years!) a series of concerts, in which absolutely all the works of Igor Stravinsky should be performed in chronological order. The author of the idea, Yaroslav Timofeev, the curator and presenter of this marathon, strives to present to the Moscow public the work of his beloved composer in its entirety, including extremely rarely performed opuses, and in his mini—lectures after and before music exposes the author's intentions and the not always obvious logic of his creative evolution.
Stravinsky, as you know, was compared to a chameleon because of the variability of his style. Several times during his long journey, he made sharp turns. The February concert shows just one of these modulations. The great cantata "The Wedding", which crowns the "Russian" period and was brilliantly performed by the team under the direction of Philip Chizhevsky, meets with an Octet that marks an appeal to neoclassicism. The program is complemented by two versions of "Four Peasant Songs" (a unique neighborhood for one program) and "Three Unaccompanied spiritual Choirs".
Vyacheslav Butusov — "Adam's Lament"
Probably, every rocker comes a moment when he wants to prove himself in the role of a serious composer — to write an opera, symphony, oratorio. Paul McCartney and Roger Waters have such experiences, and these are just the most famous examples. Now the leader of Nautilus, Vyacheslav Butusov, is in this row.
He created and recorded with the St. Petersburg orchestra the "Tauride" symphonic cycle dedicated to the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise. 30 small numbers illustrate various points of the biblical plot, and this is really a purely academic score. If we evaluate it according to the same criteria as the opus of some graduate of the conservatory's composition department is judged on the state exam, then we must admit that the work is quite professional, but devoid of fresh ideas and originality. In other words, secondary. However, Butusov's fans will at least be interested to hear what their idol is capable of — fortunately, there are definitely more beautiful melodies here than in the works of many colleagues in the workshop.
Basta — "The Last Rave"
Sigma fights come and go, but Basta stays. He experiments, turns to dance electronics, then to hardcore rap, but in the end, no, no, and releases another hit, which will then be strummed at all school parties and sung at stadiums. "The Last Rave" is just one of those armor—piercing hits with a catchy chorus and a spectacular pop-rock arrangement.
Izvestia Playlist
Our playlist, compiled from the latest releases from the end of February, turned out to be melancholic, lyrical and airy. We start with Basta's hit, which is discussed in the review, then electropop Stereo Polys and Burito will sound, and "Russian Billie Eilish" Dipiphany will sing you an exemplary (though not particularly original) ballad with a dominant piano accompaniment. Zhenya Lyubich's composition turned out to be no less gentle, only here the acoustic guitar is already in the foreground. And the entire selection is rounded off by a concert improvisation by jazz virtuoso guitarist Tommy Emmanuel.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
