January Multi-Song Review Pt. 2 (The Weeknd, Victon, The Rampage, NCT 2021, Ninety One, Lin Manuel-Miranda)

January had a lot of highlights, but I spent much of the second half of the month unable to blog. As a result, I have a lot of catching up to do. Hence, this multi-song review is going to have to be split into two.

The Weeknd - Out of Time

Off The Weeknd's latest album, Dawn FM, b-side Out of Time is far and away the best track. Taking full advantage of The Weeknd's powerful and melodic voice. Clearly inspired by '80s acts, such as Mariya Takeuchi, Junko Ohashi, DeBarge, and Michael Jackson. The production is dense, even if repetitive, and it strongly assists The Weeknd's dreamy voice.

Rating: 8.5/10

Victon - Chronograph

At what point does a tribute become plaigarism? It is hard to not ask that when listening to Victon's latest single, Chronograph. While members of Victon have individual styles, Chronograph is heavily indebted to SHINee's influential discography. The opening of the second verse feels like a direct-copy of Minho's low voice rap in I Really Want You from last year. While it loses any potential originality points, Chronograph relishes in its speedy and powerful (if extremely SHINee-esque) chorus.

Rating: 8.25/10

The Rampage - Ray of Light + Jump

Ray of Light is easily the group's best song in years. Embracing the theatrical energy and swag that made them great in the first place, Ray of Light relishes in its ambitious moments. The chorus is in particular memorable, with the vocoder perfectly playing off the members' voices.

In addition, their entire album is strong. I would particularly recommend their recording of Van Halen's classic Jump. Adding a modern dance-pop and hyper-pop interpretation to the song, it is hard to judge it fairly, as the original is a bona fide classic. However, it does nothing wrong and adds some nice touches.

Ray of Light Rating: 8.5/10

Jump Rating: 8.75/10

Bonus Section: Late 2021 Songs that this site will count as 2022 songs because I only grew to appreciate them this year and there is no one to stop me

NCT 2021 - Beautiful

I have no idea why it took me so long to fully appreciate this track. It practically was written for me in mind. That said, Beautiful is one of the best-written NCT tracks in ages. While best known for their rappers, NCT's 23 members have quite a few fantastic vocalists. Beautiful takes full advantage of this roster, at the expense of their most famous members being largely sidelined, along with NCT's strongest full-group track. Taking advantage of a light pop-ballad sound, NCT inhabits the sound, even if the harmonies lack the charm of a small, diverse set of vocalists.

Rating: 8.75/10

Ninety One - Darn

With so many Kazakh idol groups disbanding, and many of the surviving artists attaching themselves to Russia under the economic tension, Ninety One have a strong chance to expand their sites in their native land. While I do not think it has become a chart-topper yet, Darn is clearly one of Ninety One's best efforts ever. Opting for a synthwave inspired sound, Darn can best be described as Blinding Lights meets Thriller, and utterly relishes in its dark, middle-of-the-night, synth-pop. The lyrics are also clever, but of course, this is expected from Ninety One.

The chorus is utterly stunning, it smoothly flows from the equally genius and emotional pre-chorus, with just enough groove. Not everything in Darn perfect. In particular, the second verse slows things down too much for the rap, and could have skipped the pre-chorus, instead just jumping into the chorus for increased intensity. Nonetheless, it is hard to fault Darn, as it is instantly engaging.

Rating: 9/10

Lin Manuel-Miranda (Encanto Soundtrack) - We Don't Talk About Bruno ( Sung by Carolina Gaitan, Maura Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz)

Everyone, myself included, seemingly ignored this track upon the movie's launch, until it became a viral internet sensation months later. A veritable meme-machine, it is hard to ignore the fact that We Don't Talk About Bruno is musical genius, and one of Disney's best releases this century. Opting for a Latin-pop sound, We Don't Talk About Bruno is strong until the finale, where every single line of the song is sung on top of the other. The end result is one of the greatest musical climaxes in recent years, closing the song on a high.

Rating: 8.75/10

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