Single Takes (Julianna Barwick, Sun Ra Arkestra, Eartheater, Gorillaz ft. Skepta & Tony Allen, Jessy Lanza)

Single Take is a Reviler feature where multiple people give a passing glance at some new music and causally rank it somewhere between 1 (Justin Beiber) and 10 (really amazing). Fun, right? Check out the latest installment below and feel free to tell us who stupid and out of touch we are based on our opinions. Arguing on the internet: the greatest of American traditions.

Jon 8/10

Julianna Barwick’s music has always felt like a magical healing balm for whatever ails me. That has never felt more true than now, living in what feels like the apocalypse in slow motion. It’s also never sounded more for lack of a better word,”happier,” which is greatly appreciated. The visuals in this video also are amazing. If I had any complaint it’s that Sigur Ros’s Jonsi’s pieces feel a bit superfluous. 

Josh 8/10

It’s hard to argue with soothing, enchanted ambient music in times like these. Julianna Barwick is one of the best at this type of music, and this song off her new album showcases her talents for making sweeping soundscapes that drift weightlessly the ethereal vocals of Barwick and Jonsi from Sigur Ros.

Adam 8/10

Beautifully dreamy song with a great video vibe to match.

Josh 7/10

Long live the Sun Ra Arkestra. It may not quite live up to the namesake, but this song continues the soulful free jazz tradition of the band. What the song doesn’t quite capture is made up by the trippy, evocative animated video produced by Chad Van Gaalen.

Adam 5/10

Song is good but never really demands my attention. Very cool visuals though.

Jon 8/10

OK, you can officially pull my hip card because I did not realize that Sun Ra’s band was even still making music. This is really great and I love that Chad VanGaalen did the animation – he’s one of my favorite artists but I was much more familiar with his music than his animation work (which is perfect for this vid). 

Adam 8/10

I’m a big fan of Eartheater’s output and this is a great track of a hopefully incredible upcoming album.

Josh 8/10

Eartheater is a project that never ceases to impress me. This song feels a bit more “mainstream” than their previous work, but even with that it still is a haunted pop track that showcases someone exploring every shadow of an abandoned house. Both spooky and beautiful.

Jon 8/10

Yes, dreamy, floaty, magical music – I love it. It’s also weird in a way that sets it apart from say, Julianna Barwick, above. Eartheater’s music has a sort of scariness too that can be jarring and unexpected. Like a force of nature.   

Jon 4/10

Eh. I feel like it’s kind of wrong that (legend) Tony Allen is associated with something so…mediocre. This feels like a rare Gorillaz miss. 

Josh 6/10

I love Skepta and obviously much love to the legend Tony Allen, but this song doesn’t feel like the sum is equal to it’s part. I do appreciate Damon Albarn for always bringing crazy good collaborators to this project, including his track with Octavian that is one of my song of the year contenders.

Adam 7/10

It took me a while to get into Skepta but combine with Gorillaz and the late Tony Allen is a solid enough combo to hold my attention.

Josh 7/10

This song (and the whole electro pop genre) is pretty hit or miss for me. Some days I soak in the glam-y, glossy pop and the cold drum machines, and other days I can’t hit skip fast enough. Jessy Lanza’s new album falls into the former category more than the latter.

Adam 9/10

Lanza’s lofi pop vibes of her All The Time album have been matching my current interests perfectly. Highly recommended album when we get to end of the year lists.

Jon 6/10

This isn’t bad but it also doesn’t necessarily feel like it’s doing anything new or unique with a 80’s-referencing synthpop sound. I wouldn’t mind it if I felt like the hook was catchier.