April 9, 2024 — Weekly Bullet Reviews
Weekly Bullet Reviews… remember those? Well, if you need a refresher, it’s a column where our writers and I sound off on some of the new releases of the week, bullet-point style. It’s been a long time since we last did one, and we’re planning to bring them back as we head into the last quarter of the year. Before we do so though, here’s a Weekly Bullet Review column that I completely forgot we had written waaaaay back in April, so I’m posting it now!
Only our Gaming Editor Justin’s thoughts are below. If I remember correctly, I… was having a weird week and didn’t contribute. Still, good songs though! -Li-Wei Chu
We’ll be back with a new edition of this column next week.
Special thanks to Justin Ricafort for soloing the bullet reviews!
As always, some ground rules:
- These songs are listed in no particular order.
- Basically these blurbs are our rough first impressions of these tracks, so our reviews will be a lot more relaxed!
- Anything released from the past 3 weeks/month is eligible for a bullet review.
- Songs with new, recent music video releases will also be considered for a weekly bullet review.
ATARASHI GAKKO – “Ghostbusters: Frozen Summer”
Justin: Thankfully, an ATARASHII GAKKO Ghostbusters song was on my bingo card this year. The gang infuses a lot of fun dance energy into one of America’s most iconic movie themes. Shout out to the “A B C D E F GHOST” line and all of Rin’s rap verses. Lots of novelty and charm on this track and it’s always good to see AG having fun in their performances.
Justin: A dark, brooding, emotive dose of trip hop. The guitar skating on top of long echoes and a clear as ice drum pattern offers up a lonely dragging sensation. Recommended if you like bôa, The Fugees, or Dido.
Wei Ming & R O – “Right Now (R O Remix)”
Justin: Icy, bouncing, and exuberant. Great, energetic break in the middle of the track that only gets more hype and exciting towards the end. A stellar remix.
Justin: Insane drum pattern and mix on this one. Totally scientific, mechanical while still retaining a rock soul. A devotedly technical sound that pays off on its restraint as the guitars and bass flounder to the center. Great ideas and experiments from +/-. Listen with headphones.
Celine Cheung – “Would You Forgive Me?”
Justin: Remarkable ambient breaths, layered vocals evolving into choir. An adventurously changing tune. Captures the feeling of a raw recording transforming into a DAW, or a solo car ride drifting into the atmosphere.
Merry Lamb Lamb, Miso Extra, Aimei – “Better”
Justin: A little personal disco in the frontal lobe. A great grasp on interiority through feathered vocals, jittering, deep electronic bass, and tastefully distorted samples. The perfect ratio of sweet, challenging, and danceable. Do yourself a favor and check out all the mixed media work done for the visualizer.
Justin: Thoroughly chill and totally vibe. Stands apart from other chill pop by a slight, but noticeable amount of distance from the vocals. Sounds like you’re in decent seats at the show, but still far enough to have a side conversation and drink some light beer and hop over to the merch table if you want. Perfectly serviceable background music to put in the part-time job playlist.
Justin: Su Lee returns with an R&B bend and surprisingly fits in very well. If this is your first Su Lee joint, you’re in for a catchy, charming, and slickly produced track highlighting the maturity of her career. Solid penmanship from the metaphor, lyrics, and performance. Verse switch ups, crescendo, and harmonies go crazyyy. My favorite Su Lee song by far.
Header photo taken from Gliiico – “Amiri Jeans”
Check out our other Weekly Bullet Reviews here.