Beyoncé
‘Die With You’
★½
It might seem like an innocent gift to mark their seventh anniversary, but Beyoncé’s new piano ballad is less of a gift to hubby Jay Z than it is a subscription incentive for her fans. With the track and video being released to the Jay Z-fronted streaming service Tidal over the weekend, this sweet but slight song is a thinly disguised marketing ploy. Expect many more from pop’s A-list in the near future.
The National
‘Sunshine on My Back’
★★½
Ignore the hint of optimism in the title, because the National smothers it with their characteristic indie-rock melancholy. Recorded in 2012 (but now being released to fans who buy/rent the band’s movie “Mistaken for Strangers”), the New Yorkers are typically elegant while frontman Matt Berninger plaintively sings “sunshine in my brain is the lonely kind of pain.” Spring is finally here, but “Sunshine on My Back” is a reminder that the summertime blues are just around the corner.
ILoveMakonnen
‘No Ma’am’ feat. Rome Fortune and Rich the Kid
★★★
After teaming up with Drake to score a sleeper hit with last year’s “Tuesday,” rapper ILoveMakonnen’s new mixtape “Drink More Water 5” indicates that he could have a few more hits to come. The Atlanta rapper keeps it simple on this lead track; a rattlesnake beat provides the bounce, a circular synth melody invades the brain and the buoyant title hook is begging for someone to sing along.
Joy Williams
‘Woman (Oh Mama)’
★½
The Civil Wars are over, and now Joy Williams of the Grammy-winning indie-folk duo is back to her solo career. Not everyone will want to make that journey with her, as this taster from her upcoming solo album “Venus” uses the Afrobeat influences distilled from Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel as a jumping-off point. But even though Williams’ voice is still a marvel, “Woman (Oh Mama)” just doesn’t reach high enough.
Brian Wilson
‘The Last Song’
★★
The ex-Beach Boy’s latest album “No Pier Pressure” is amusingly titled. But there are no laughs to be had on the final track, which is inspired by the acrimonious dissolution of the group’s 50th-anniversary reunion tour. The lush strings are a little hammy and histrionic, but there’s a clear sense of sadness in Wilson’s voice, as he movingly pleads with his estranged band members for one final encore.
Matt and Kim
‘Can You Blame Me’
★★½
Indie dance-pop’s energizer bunnies are back with their fifth album “New Glow,” and the batteries still haven’t run out on their sense of fun. The sugar rush provided by the Brooklynites is still best enjoyed in small doses, like this knowingly dumb but undeniably catchy ode to living in the moment. Their “mature” period still seems a ways off.