Old and new
In recent years, the music landscape has unmistakably changed. From the rise of streaming and the changes it brings to the polarization of listeners between niche work and the ultra-mainstream, things are happening that would have been inconceivable in the old era. Two such moments happened simultaneously in recent weeks:
And then there was Drake
The man many people love to hate (arguably myself included), came back with his first album in 3 years. A surprise album at that: the man, like most of his hip-hop contemporaries, likes to surprise-drop his new work. But the real surprise lay in the fact that he didn’t drop an album: he dropped three. 30-track long albums we have seen before; multiple single, mixtape or EP releases we have seen before; but 3 full length albums are a bit of a novelty.
3 albums for 3 styles, too: Iceman is the hip-hop album that listeners and journalists alike were expecting. And it didn’t disappoint: heavy tracks, top-rated producers and numerous features including Future and 21 Savage. Meanwhile, Habibti is more R&B-infused, the other (some might say main) style Drake is known for. Finally, Maid of Honour comes out as a dance album, the other major musical trend in recent years (see: Charli XCX, Beyoncé or Madonna’s upcoming Confessions II).
Although quite a few were quick to point out that some tracks do seem like filler — imagine the dozens of recordings that had to be produced in the process — the singer outperformed as per usual: for the first time in Billboard history, his albums took over the podium upon release. That’s right: Drake currently has the top 3 albums in the country (being the US). I will say this: I was never a bona fide fan of the man as I find his work to be somewhat easy. But he always delivers and he always exceeds what people expect his impact will be. That we have to respect…
The giants never left
Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the two most important bands of the past century made the news. To start, both surviving members of the greatest band in popular history (that would be the Beatles) released new albums weeks from each other. (Sir) Ringo Starr published his 22nd solo album, Long Long Road, at the end of April. Meanwhile, (Sir) Paul McCartney released his 20th, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, last Friday. Both are fairly nostalgic collections of songs, as can be expected from 80-somethings who literally led the musical revolution of our time.
Not to be undone, the other legendary band of the 60’s, the Rolling Stones, also announced a new album, along with a couple of singles — the first one released under a pseudonym, another astute launch trick Drake could go for. The latest single, “In the Stars”, comes with another surprise: its music video features de-aged AI renderings of its band members. Young Mick and Keith doing what the do best: a blues-infused rock track that is as efficient as they come. To be honest, listening to the riff of that song will give anyone hope that life after 60 is possible: whether AI was in way used in the production of this song, Richards’ guitar sounds as real as it ever did. The chorus is less glorious, but that’s another story.
There you have it: while one of the biggest names in contemporary popular music floods the zone with dozens of new songs (9 of the top 10 songs in the Billboard 100 too), the artists who helped create said popular music as a global genre decades ago are still at it, still doing great work, still rocking. Want one last bit of fun trivia? Both the McCartney and Stones albums were produced by the same man, 35-year-old Andrew Watt…