Debí Tirar Más Fotos by Bad Bunny
Photo: Eric Rojas
Opinion - The latest album from Latin superstar Bad Bunny translates to 'I Should Have Taken More Photos'. He told US talk show host Jimmy Fallon the title relates to appreciating loved ones. A short film that accompanied the release features veteran Puerto Rican filmmaker Jacobo Morales reflecting on ageing and the elusivity of memory.
It doesn't feel like a stretch to say that the album is about Bad Bunny missing his birthplace after a few years living in America, and expressing concern at how the country is changing.
Musically there's everything from modern trap production to traditional salsa, performed on 'Baile Inolvidable' by students from Escuela Libre de Música in Puerto Rico.
The internet is abound with rumours that 'Turista' is about Bad Bunny's ex, Kendall Jenner. But it could also be read as a denouncement of Puerto Rico's tourist industry, which stands in contrast to the country's struggles, like the frequent blackouts he calls out elsewhere on the album.
In press he's been explicit about the album's politics. In Puerto Rico's last election, he endorsed a third-party candidate who advocates independence from the United States. The album was released on Three Kings day, a Latino family holiday, bucking the common wisdom of dropping new music on a Friday.
In 'Lo que le pasó a Hawaii' he compares the colonisation of Hawaii with the neocolonisation of Puerto Rico by American tourists.
It's weighty stuff, and not what you'd expect from a gargantuan pop release. Beyond the reggaeton and dembow rhythms, Bad Bunny has plenty to say.
Humanhood by The Weather Station
The Weather Station Photo: Brendan George Ko
There's a touch of Joni Mitchell to the voice and songs of Tamara Lindeman, who makes music as The Weather Station. Early albums were rooted in traditional folk and country, but elements of jazz have crept in, and they suit her laid back brand of personal crisis.
She said lead single 'Neon Signs' concerns "the confusion of being bombarded with advertising at a moment of climate emergency". She sings "You feel flattered to be wanted and you don't know why".
It's fair to say that her songs have tipped into outright despair on recent albums. That one starts with the line "I've gotten used to feeling like I'm crazy". But musically they're consistently beautiful, her band emulating Lindeman's confusion through tangled, breathless arrangements.
The Bad Fire by Mogwai
Photo: Steve Gullick
As is maybe expected for a band of this vintage (formed 30 years ago) and specific type (mostly instrumental), Mogwai songs have fallen over time into certain types. There's guitar noodling that builds to an epic crescendo, synth jams with live overlays, and double-time, verse/ chorus numbers.
This familiarity is no bad thing, more a constant refinement. And they build them around strong harmonic choices. The styles may be recognisable, but the melodies are always distinct, whether jubilant, as in 'Lion Rumpus', or moody, in the appropriately titled 'Pale Vegan Hip Pain'.
Some span that divide between lightweight and sombre, taking you with them as they go. Closing track 'Fact Boy' begins with a quirky synth wobble, then segues into a gorgeous, contemplative guitar part. Like many of Mogwai's best songs, it's easy to get lost in.
Tony Stamp reviews the latest album releases every week on The Sampler.
