By Reece Jamison
Executive Staff
This week is, in fact, a rather lackluster one for music (in my opinion, of course), so I will review Logic’s, “YSIV” and The Japanese House’s “Lilo.”
Logic returns with another entry in his series of Young Sinatra mixtapes. These projects kicked started Logic’s career almost a decade ago with the release of the first tape, Young, Broke, & Infamous (2010). What is important to note is that, much like his lyrical prowess, Logic takes care to pay homage to the rap greats that came before him, sampling beats and jacking punchlines, all while inserting his own personal stories and artistic flourishes.
This characteristic of his artistry, though, has always seemed to be the biggest critique offered against him, with others saying that he too often borrows a little too much from his predecessors and contemporaries.
“YSIV” serves as the most blatant example of this type of lyricism from Logic. Once again, Bobby dances around his verses, bloated with numerous references (Jay-Z, Kanye West, Naz, Sony?, Wu-Tang, Scotch tape) and provides punchlines for six minutes.
The instrumental is in two parts, the first being a sample of Milkbone’s, “Keep It Real” (which sampled “Melancholy Mood,” by The Marian McPartland Trio), and the second part, a sample of Nas’s “Life’s a Bitch.” As is tradition, Logic delivers on YSIV the Young Sinatra that his fans first fell in love with years ago.
I was hoping to get the chance to review the new Kanye album, but as of my writing this, he has yet to drop it. So instead, I will be reviewing The Japanese House’s new single, “Lilo.” TJH is a solo act comprised of vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, Amber Bain. Hailing from Buckinghamshire, England, Bain has released four EPs under the TJH moniker since 2015.
“Lilo” has struck a certain chord with me. It is the first single I have heard from the act and yet, it feels all too familiar. This may be due to the fact that the single reminds me of acts such as Beach House and The xx, with an ethereal palate of instruments that elevate the track sonically.
On top of that, Bain has dedicated a fair amount of space within the track to her own voice, layering, over and over again, glitched samples and vocal harmonies with the reverb knob turned up to “heavenly chorus.” Hopefully, the rest of her discography can be uplifting enough to take me to a reality where Kanye can keep it all together.