Global weekly is a curated recap of the international music & culture news by BOBE. We offer an insight of latest releases, events, and discoveries. Enjoy!
Right around Halloween season, the time when people can express their crazy, wild, and funny side through outfits, we got a costume-themed match to this year’s Heidi Klum worm extravaganza. Harry Styles in his new music video “Music for Sushi Restaurant” stands out to us as a glamorous octopus, that in order not to be cooked, starts singing. Truly a big fish caught! Fans on the internet tend to believe that the sense of the video is a metaphor for the industry, where at first you are shining in the spotlight to show yourself and then losing identity chasing fame. At the end, the octopus loses his voice. And as we understood, at the end became somebody’s dinner.
Harry didn’t lose his charm and honestly was more himself than a sea creature, wearing boa, fur, glitter and spitting water in the air like he usually does at his concerts. What do you think? Fish or pass?
Tom Odell is independent now. After leaving a big label in 2021 artist could finally breathe freely and, as a result, came up with a new album “Best Day of my Life” released on November 28th, which became a symbol of a new start in his career. As Tom said, this album was a challenge for him, the goal was to create songs with his piano and voice only. Now the challenge is successfully accomplished and we can already enjoy a recently uploaded single “Smiling All The Way Back Home”. His 5th album definitely tells us more about the artist's mental struggles, anxiety, emotional swings, something very relatable and honest. Tom really opens up in “Best Day of my Life” and we can follow his everyday thoughts and battles. So, a great idea for a lonely evening is to spend time in Tom’s open arms listening to his open heart, kinda like therapy, but available on YouTube.
From Odell’s words:
“The reasons and the process evolve. I think it’s important not to resist that… The mistake is trying to do the same process and expect the same result. I think the process has to change.”
Changes are for the best and it couldn't be said any better.
“One room, only two. Another beautiful morning with you, ” sounds like a dream, but actually it’s lyrics from Elderbrook’s new song Beautiful Morning. Autumn is a perfect time for dreamy, soft and romantic music like this, but at the same moment, dynamic rhythm won’t let you fall deeper into fall’s sadness.
The third "Actual Life" album of Fred again.. , containing 13 songs, saw the world recently. This album in in its own way has become a diary of the artist as he used voice messages of his friends, memorable videos and important records inviting us inside his own world. For his short career, Fred’s managed to release two very personal albums, with "Actual Life 3" being the third one. For now, the artist has presented the string of tracks containing the record ‘Clara (the night is dark)’, ‘Danielle (smile on my face)’, Bleu (better with time) and Kammy (like i do). Why don’t you feel the Actual Life?
The end of "All Too Well" era. Taylor Swift’s new "Midnights" has broken into the charts, becoming the most listened album on Spotify in less than 24 hours, with Karma, Bejeweled and Anti-hero already trending on TikTok. A legend is back. After an extremely successful ten-minute music video released almost a year ago, that might have changed people's opinion on Jake Gyllenhaal and look differently on red scarfs, Taylor surprised us with a fresh, self-critical, sometimes funny and revealing album. Swift herself says:
"This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams."
It is trending among artists today to talk about their feelings, be vulnerable and open about mental problems, which is great progress from 2010s songs like Pitbull’s “see somebody sexy tell them hey”, and starts to destigmatize conversation about feelings and mental problems. Even Taylor, who uses her private jet for a 17-minute flight, fights her own demons. "Midnights" after "Folklore and Evermore" follows the topic of self-reflection and societal expectations. It shows Taylor's personality and problems from another side.
By the way, "Bejeweled" and "Anti-hero" music videos are already out, so we have a lot to unpack and many Easter eggs to find. In the first video, starring Laura Dern, Swift stands out to us as a modern Cinderella, and in Anti-hero she is drinking shots with her clone, singing: “It’s me, Hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.” Relatable, right?! So, Swifties, it is time to prepare red scarfs and listen non-stop to Midnights, overthinking life, which sounds like a thing to do in the fall season.
Hot headlines is one thing, but how about some hidden gems? Here are some of our discoveries and recommendations:
Listen: Our playlist “Explore cinema through sound”. During Riga International Film Festival we watched some films and paid attention to the soundtracks. This is a diverse, but quite interesting selection featuring music from films.
Watch: Please Baby Please by Amanda Kramer. Something extraordinary and not your everyday cinema experience. Visually rich musical filled with erotic tension, over-dramatic scenes which revolves around the gender identity and sexuality.
Rewind time: Interview with Chris Noah at Positivus Festival’22. Chris Noah has just released his EP “Red Light”.
