Terius Nash AKA The Dream is somewhat of an unknown quantity in Britain. Stateside he has won Grammys and had two top five records in the Billboard 200. Not to mention the fact he penned two of the biggest pop singles of recent times namely Umbrella and Single Ladies. The fact he has never enjoyed such success in Britain is relatively strange, especially when one sees artists of a similar ilk doing so well in the British charts. Love King is the title track from his third record. The album is the final chapter in The Dream’s ‘love trilogy’ after his debut album Love/Hate and 2009’s Love Vs Money. In terms of lyrical content, and to a certain extent voice, an easy comparison is R. Kelly. The vast majority of his songs are sleazy and smutty, sex-fuelled R & B, often just as explicit as anything the aforementioned Kelly ever produced. Love King as a track is just brilliant. As with most of The Dream’s material, the key to the track’s success is the combination of absolutely superb production (in this case a simple beat and two chord piano riff), and his fantastic, flowing melodic hooks. Throw in some genuinely witty if clichéd lyrics and you have yourself an absolute winner.
41) Wolf Parade - Cloud Shadow On The Mountain
Cloud Shadow On The Mountain is the opening track of Wolf Parade’s third LP Expo 86. At the heart of Wolf Parade’s genius is co-frontmen Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner. Cloud Shadow… is a typical Krug-led affair. Jumpy and agitated vocals, that Krug yelps as if his life depends on it. Boeckner’s choppy guitars, some fairly crazy synths and Arlen Thompson's pounding drum beat keep the track going at a rip-roaring pace while Krug dwells on a life that will never be - “You’ll never be born as a scorpion”, pretty magnificent stuff from one of Canada’s finest. As a side note the band announced only a matter of days ago, that they will be going on an indefinite hiatus, which obviously does not bode well for future releases, but if this record is to be their last then so be it. They will have left behind a fine body of work, of which Cloud Shadow… is just a tiny part of.
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