Albums of the week from Finneas, Coldplay, Marteria, Santana, Norah Jones – Culture

Finneas – “Optimist” (Universal)

Yes, as a musician and actor you can be a Californian Finneas Know Baird O’Connell too. But above all: as a brother. As a producer. As a companion. As his sister’s sidekick – that’s right, Billie Eilish. It’s kind of hard to believe that the two should really have screwed their super-giant-over-hits together in the nursery. But there are now a whole series of very fascinating YouTube videos in which Finneas demonstrates how he builds songs on the computer. And yes, the man knows very well what he is doing.

Now “Optimist” (Universal) is out, actually his first solo album. You don’t want to call it debut because Billie Eilish, see above. And because he has already released countless songs solo since 2014. The difference: when his sister isn’t there, he likes it a whole lot more conventionally. Less electronics, less whispering, much more classic pop with warm chord progressions and large melodies, sometimes very tender, sometimes with the courage to be grandeur. If you want, you can hear the Billie sound, but at least as similar to Rufus Wainwright or Sufjan Stevens. The impressive thing is that Finneas can do both so perfectly: brittle / modern and retro / tasteful. He also writes great texts. With the beautiful “The 90s” you want to hug him for lines like “You could sign me up / for a world without the internet”. No question about it, the guy can really do anything, and he’s already had a James Bond theme song. Can be a little creepy, right? Max Fellmann

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Norah Jones – “I Dream Of Christmas” (Blue Note / Universal)

Already in mid-October, high time to check out the Christmas albums. from Norah Jones One could actually have expected one thing for years: Her living room jazz pop always sounds a bit like a warm cup of tea on the misty window, on “I Dream Of Christmas” (Blue Note / Universal) she now breathes 13 songs to which a child belongs , Dog and cat can curl up together under the tree. The classics are, well, very classic, “White Christmas”, “Winter Wonderland”, “Run Rudolph Run”. In between, her own compositions do well, especially the percussive chattering “Christmas Glow”. Max Fellmann

Going the other way Kelly Clarkson with “When Christmas Comes Around” (Atlantic): the snappy version, American showbiz, big stage, brass, Las Vegas, always with an eye on the mother of the mother of all Christmas hits, Mariah Carey. Clarkson’s “Christmas Isn’t Canceled (Just You)” is an offensive reminder of their indestructible “All I Want For Christmas (Is You)”. Max Fellmann

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Coldplay – “Music Of The Spheres” (Warner Music)

Who the artistic story of Coldplay since the glorious early successes in 2000 perceived as a constant, dismaying decline, will have to admit: “Music Of The Spheres” is a new low point, which will hardly be beaten even with great effort. Joachim Hentschel

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The “DJ Kicks” are something like the “Bravo Hits” of club music. However, the “Bravo Hits” only bring together the hits of the season once a year, the label’s DJ kicks! K7, on the other hand, show several times each year what the best DJs in the world play. It started in the mid-90s, immediately became huge in 1996 with the huge success of the “DJ Kicks” by Kruder & Dorfmeister, then it went from downbeat to electronics in the noughties and the present with greats like DJ Koze, Marcel Dettmann or Mount Kimbie. Now is the British duo Disclosure It’s your turn and, as expected, mixes a steamy house and dubstep set of well-known names and rare finds. Whipping, straight ahead, sometimes a little beveled. A mixture that the duo say they would “play in a sweaty basement rave”. It works very well, but be careful with the two pieces that the two produced exclusively for this mix: The bass of “Observer Effect”, played through a strong system, could possibly lead to abdominal discomfort. Max Fellmann

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Marteria – “5th Dimension” (Sony)

According to her own statements, Marteria, who was first a footballer, then a model and later a rapper, likes to fish for life. But above all, the all-rounder can do one thing better than anything else: celebrate. Why he wrote a danceable record about his existence as a passionate bon vivant at a time when clubs and discos were closed can be interpreted as you like. In any case, on “5th Dimension” he makes it clear that nothing will stop him from being the last at every party anytime soon. Musically it is carried more by electronically influenced grooves than by typical rap beats. In between there are also approaches of self-reflection. You can do it. Nevertheless, the album is more suitable for parties than for fishing. Lennart Brauwers

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Santana – “Blessings And Miracles” (Bmg / Warner)

“Actually, not that much has changed,” says Santana in an interview. It is normal for him to invite great musicians to make music with him. “Just like Wayne Shorter once said: ‘Brand new and yet familiar.'” This is what the new album sounds like. It tells stories of love, joy, peace and enlightenment. There are guests like Kirk Hammett from Metallica or Chick Corea, who died in February of this year, who is comparatively cautious and garnishes a Latin happy passage. Singers from Asdru Sierra to Chris Stapleton and Rob Thomas to daughter Stella Santana decorate the pieces with sometimes more, sometimes less lard and soul.

The dramaturgical blueprint of the album roughly corresponds to the concept developed in “Supernatural”: one half with strolling instrumentals and improvising rock flow for the hippiesque community, the other half with beach bar-compatible radio doodle including key stimuli from R&B feeling to reggaeton. In the middle of all sorts of things there are pearls like the musically meandering and captivatingly communicating cover version of “Whiter Shade Of Pale” in a small group with Steve Winwood as the singing and organizing counterpart. Ralf Dombrowski

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Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes – “Sticky” (Awal)

Finally, a little bit of buffalo hurra to put you in a good mood. Or for the bad, how to take it. Punk rock, loud and angry. Frank Carter And The Rattlesnakes, the band name still sounds like a country band, but far and wide no cowboy hat, but British punk rock in the machine version: electric guitars and drum computers. The band’s new album is called “Sticky” (Awal), Frank Carter sings and rages against everything that pisses him off, so in detail and in particular, uh: everything. The guests are two men who do not exactly stand for social optimism, Joe Talbot (Idles) and Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream). For ten songs there is screaming and spitting and raging, after that there is dead silence and the world is no better, but at least a bit hoarse and sweaty. Small escapes. Max Fellmann

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