We've been begging for precipitation for months, and at long last, it has rained in the UK! The ground is still as dry as a bit of reheated chicken, but we've finally seen evidence that this long, torturous summer might soon be giving way to a damp and soggy autumn.
Like the changeable weather, it's also been a strange and tumultuous time for music: the great Dolly Parton sadly passed away at the age of 80, and we got a new hip-hop album from one of the most left-field celebrities we can think of. We'll get to that below, as we share the songs that have been on our review team's playlist over the past few weeks.
There's even talk that The Rock is planning to release a country album, thus proving that nominative determinism doesn't always work in the way that you expect. You're called The Rock, Dwayne, not The Country. The clue is very much in the name.
Ballerina by YHWH Nailgun
A minute-long song is usually a novelty, a throwaway interlude, something to keep the label's wolf from the door. But despite being exactly that length, Ballerina, from YHWH Nailgun’s sophomore album Magazine, is far from thoughtless filler. It isn't even an exception within the album; Magazine’s longest song comes in at just 1:36.
Ballerina’s 60 seconds are populated by reverberant, growling synths, playful drums and the distinctive rasping of the band’s singer, Zack Borzone, who sounds something like Birthday Party-era Nick Cave with a chest infection. Periodically, the song descends into an erratic cacophony of record-scratching, before returning abruptly to its hypnotic, twisting groove.
The song's overall arrangement (scratching breaks aside) is sparse and staccato, but the depth of its groaning, overdriven synths, alongside a skilful deployment of reverb, makes this an interesting listen when assessing a system’s stereo imaging and depth. If your system is working well, you might be surprised by how quickly Ballerina lures you into its uniquely graceful breed of chaos.
Words by Ioan Hazell
Eve of Destruction by Barry McGuire
I’ve been playing rather a lot of Mafia III recently, and while the game itself is somewhat hamstrung by its repetitive mission design, outdated mechanics and reboot-inducing glitches, it proudly boasts one of the best and most bulging licensed soundtracks this side of a Grand Theft Auto title.
Given that it’s set in the southern US in a fictional version of ‘60s New Orleans, Mafia III uses its in-game soundtrack to craft that hazy American mise-en-scène, with contemporary classics such as Aretha Franklin’s Respect and Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Fortunate Son reflecting the simmering political upheaval running beneath the central narrative.
Then there’s Barry McGuire’s Eve Of Destruction, an anti-war polemic that also incorporates themes of racial inequality, political polarisation, global instability and, my old favourite, the impending nuclear apocalypse.
The charm of Eve Of Destruction is in its raw, unfiltered nature. McGuire isn’t the most velvety crooner in town, favouring a hard, throaty delivery that only enhances his urgent fury as he pointedly warns the listener: “Don't you understand what I’m trying to say? If the button is pushed / There’s no running away / There’ll be no one to save with the world in a grave.”
I wish I could say things had changed, Barry old chum. A man after my own nihilistic heart.
Words by Harry McKerrell
Jolene by Dolly Parton
It's one of the most well-known stories in music: Dolly Parton wrote two of her biggest hits – I Will Always Love You and Jolene – in one day (or thereabouts) in 1973. What a woman. Whitney Houston's powerhouse vocals transformed the first song when she covered it in 1992, although I have a soft spot for Parton's more small-scale, fragile and intimate original.
And while Jolene has been covered many, many times in various genres, Parton's original remains a true country classic.
It's an addictive rhythm, with the guitar strums sounding distinctly tactile and propulsive. Parton's indelible voice holds steady and firm, full of confidence and defiance, even as she begs the titular Jolene to not steal her husband away. True story or not, it's a song that has spanned decades and genres, and shows just how far-reaching Parton's cultural influence is. Jolene is a cracking tune, full of fluid dynamics and a catchy chorus, and with a vocal performance that should keep your attention rapt to the story, no matter how you listen to it.
It's hard to put into words just how much of a shining light Dolly Parton was, not just as a musician, but as an actress, a philanthropist, a savvy businesswoman – coming across both sharp-witted and kind, and imbuing everything she did with a genuine joy. She will be hugely missed, but never forgotten. Not with songs like Jolene, 9 To 5, Here You Come Again out in the ether, that's for sure.
Words by Kashfia Kabir
Present Tense by Pearl Jam
During my formative weeks as a What Hi-Fi? journo, I was shipped off to one of my first press events at a London listening room. One of the hitherto unfamiliar assortment of sound engineers and PRs asked me the standard question about the sort of music I was into, and while I was enthusing about the ‘90s Seattle grunge scene, I mentioned my affection for a nice slice of Pearl Jam.
To my surprise, one of the attendees revealed that they used a Pearl Jam track for testing all the time, although it wasn’t one of the big-hitting anthems, such as Black, Jeremy, Alive, with which I was familiar. Instead, he suggested I check out Present Tense from the lesser-known No Code album, and nearly four years down the line, I still dig it out on the regular whenever testing duties call.
He really was on to something. Instead of sludgy riffs and meaty hooks, Present Tense trades on gentle, almost hesitant guitars which tease and twinkle within a decidedly uncluttered soundscape. This is where a fine pair of wired headphones, say, would have a chance to prove their talents in providing that airy, spacious soundscape in which each twang and strum can rise and decay without bleeding or distortion.
That’s before we even get to lead vocalist Eddie Vedder, a man whose raspy vocals are imprinted onto my brain like initials scrawled into wet cement.
Present Tense is distinct from many of Pearl Jam’s established catalogue because, astonishingly, you can actually make out most of Vedder's lyrics. Listen to Yellow Ledbetter, by contrast, and not even the greatest hi-fi system will give you a hope of understanding what on Earth he’s actually singing.
Words by Harry McKerrell
Mad Technology by Czarface Meets Frankie Pulitzer
I’m so confused, I don’t know where I am or what day it is.
Surprise number one: Tom Hardy has officially dropped a hip-hop album. Yes, that Tom Hardy. You know, the burly acting chap who played Bane, Charles Bronson and Eddie Brock in Venom. He’s done a hip-hop album, and it’s on Spotify and Tidal and everything.
Surprise number two: he’s brought backup. Performing under the pseudonym Frankie Pulitzer, Hardy has teamed up with hip-hop supergroup Czarface, which itself counts Inspectah Deck – formerly of Wu-Tang Clan – among its key members.
Surprise number three: it’s genuinely, almost unfathomably, pretty darn good. Forget mumble rap churned out over the same off-sync processed beats – this is full-blooded, heavy-hitting hip-hop straight out of the 1990s, with Mad Technology going hard and heavy with its big beats, staccato piano riff and ruthlessly aggressive flows.
Hardy’s turn comes right at the end, and rather than sticking out like – well, an actor in a rap collective – he fits in pretty well. Considering that’s about as likely as Sir Patrick Stewart slotting perfectly into Arsenal’s current back four, our Tom deserves a rather hearty pat on the back.
Well done, Tom.
Words by Harry McKerrell
As a collective, our review team listens to a lot of music. Sometimes we rely on old favourites with which we're familiar, but we are always discovering new tracks – be they fresh releases or just songs we haven't encountered before – that give us key insights into new products we are trying out.
We also know that plenty of our readers are on the lookout for new tunes, either to assess the capabilities of a new system or simply to show off the full talents of their established hi-fi set-up. That's why we have come up with our monthly 'Now Playing' playlist, a rundown of everything we've been listening to and loving recently, whether at home with a set of headphones or at work in our fabulous test rooms.
Each instalment will bring you a handful of tracks chosen by our reviews team, detailing why we love them and what they bring out of certain products. So even if you're not looking for new tunes to play on your system, we hope you find something you'll love no matter how you choose to listen to it.
We're always on the lookout for new music, so drop a comment below to share what you have been listening to!
MORE:
Read last month’s edition: beat the heat with the 6 best tracks we have been using to test headphones and hi-fi
Yes, there is an ultimate prog rock album for testing hi-fi – at least according to What Hi-Fi? readers
Check out our ultimate test tracks collection
