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The post Song of the Week: Spinal Tap Enlist Paul McCartney for the Downright Joyous \u201cCups and Cakes\u201d<\/a> appeared first on Consequence<\/a>.<\/p>\n Each week,\u00a0<\/em>our\u00a0Songs of the Week<\/a> column highlights the best new tracks from the last seven days. This week, we\u2019re celebrating the newly-released <\/em>Spinal Tap II and its Paul McCartney-featuring rework of \u201cCups and Cakes<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n Much like their new movie Spinal Tap II: The End Continues<\/i><\/a>, the new album<\/a> from the greatest fictional rock band of all time<\/a> draws a lot on the past as well as the future. There are multiple original tracks on\u00a0The End Continues<\/em>, but also featured are a few covers of Spinal Tap<\/a> classics, including Elton John on \u201c(Listen to the) Flower People\u201d and the previously released \u201cStonehenge,\u201d as well as Paul McCartney leading a new version of \u201cCups and Cakes\u201d that brings with it a delightful meta element.<\/p>\n \u201cCups and Cakes\u201d was originally released on the 1984 mockumentary\u2019s soundtrack (though never heard in the film), and in a 2009 interview with The AV Club<\/a>, Spinal Tap<\/i><\/a> star Michael McKean admitted to being \u201ca little sentimental\u201d about it, referring to the song as \u201ckind of like their string-laden \u2018Eleanor Rigby\u2019 sound.\u201d So what could be better than having a gosh-darn Beatle guest on it?<\/p>\n The album version is, naturally, much more produced than the rendition heard in the movie, which features McCartney sitting in on a jam session with the band as they squabble over chords. In both cases, though, it\u2019s genuinely delightful to witness one of rock\u2019s great legends engaging with Spinal Tap as if they are the rock legends that\u2026 Well, maybe technically, they are. They did just release a new album, after all, their fourth studio album to date, and are still playing together after literal decades. Not so many bands can say the same.<\/p>\n Perhaps part of that longevity is thanks to the band not being too precious about sticking to any specific genre or format: In that AV Club interview, McKean did note that \u201cCups and Cakes\u201d is \u201ccertainly not textbook Spinal Tap,\u201d but it does represent the lads playing around while maybe lightly parodying The Kinks, with all the goofy instrumental flourishes you could ever ask for. It speaks to a massive part of the sequel film\u2019s charm \u2014 the way it showcases how McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest are still finding the joy in making music together, after these years. (Also, after listening to it more than a few times\u2026 I\u2019m now craving a traditional British teatime.)<\/p>\n \u2014 Liz Shannon Miller dust \u2014 \u201cAlastair\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Australian rock quintet dust have a gem with \u201cAlastair,\u201d their new song and the latest from their upcoming debut album\u00a0Sky Is Falling <\/em>(out 10\/10). It starts off in dreamland with crystalline guitars, a winding bass line, and a beach pop feel. They reach their stride in the chorus, oscillating between a more driven approach and a resigned haze. Then, the band collapses into a fraught, fuzzy groove for the outro, the drums escalating in energy while co-vocalist Justin Teale squeezes in one last verse. Even in their sweetest modes, dust have no problem complicating their sound to keep us on our toes. Looking for another great rock band with a saxophonist? They\u2019re right here. \u2014 Paolo Ragusa<\/em><\/p>\n Rachel Bobbitt \u2014 \u201cHush\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Rachel Bobbitt has shared \u201cHush,\u201d the latest offering from her upcoming debut album\u00a0Swimming Towards the Sand<\/em> (out 10\/17). Keeping with the album\u2019s oceanic theme, \u201cHush\u201d is a buoyant, tender dream pop cut, the wading of waters symbolized by the ebb and flow of Bobbitt\u2019s melodies. Most stark is the chorus, where Bobbitt is surrounded by thick harmonies, too sour for serenity but full enough to elicit powerful emotions. When she enters a full-voiced belt, like when she sings \u201cEye to eye,\u201d she sounds like no one else. \u2014 P. Ragusa<\/em><\/p>\n Rapsody, Madlib \u2014 \u201cAvon Thru the Wire\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Rapsody has always been in a league of her own. On \u201cAvon Thru the Wire,\u201d a textured, soulful track of pensiveness inspired by the character Avon Barksdale from the revered HBO series\u00a0The Wire<\/em>, Rapsody manipulates her voice to tell an evocative story of multiple characters. Opening with a pitched-down vocal, Rapsody takes on the role of a hustler contemplating the consequences of getting caught up in the street life, and expressing appreciation for a longtime friend who reserved judgment. The North Carolina rapper blends the deepened voice with her own natural tone, weaving a narrative of personal reflection and emphasizing the importance of support among people of different trajectories. \u201cIt\u2019s for you to believe, it\u2019s for you to achieve\/ It\u2019s still time for you\/ For your life, I never grieved,\u201d Rapsody spits near the end. Not unlike The Wire<\/em> itself, Rapsody uses this song to stress the importance of seeing flawed individuals as humans in need of compassion and grace. \u2014 Kiana Fitzgerald<\/em><\/p>\n Ragana, Drowse \u2014 \u201cIn Eternal Woods Pts. 2-3\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Labelmates and fellow gloomy music makers Ragana and Drowse have officially joined forces for a full-length project. Their collaborative album, Ash Souvenir<\/em>, drops November 14th on The Flenser, and judging by the lead single, avant-metal heads are in for a treat. Enticingly titled \u201cIn Eternal Woods Pts. 2-3,\u201d the track is crushing, heavy, and incredibly emotive. There are hints of black metal in the tremolo guitars and the guttural screams of the lead vocals, while the back half offers brief glimpses of Drowse\u2019s more atmospheric, slow-core tendencies. All the while, lyrics dealing with loss, love, and sacred places match the instrumental\u2019s epic scope. \u2014 Jonah Krueger<\/em><\/p>\n Rochelle Jordan \u2014 \u201cSweet Sensation\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Rochelle Jordan is mounting her comeback. The British-Canadian singer-songwriter has been teasing her upcoming album, Through the Wall<\/em>, since this spring. Her latest offering, \u201cSweet Sensation,\u201d is yet another instance of Jordan firing a flare gun into the night sky, signaling her highly anticipated return. She hasn\u2019t released an original album since 2021\u2019s Play With the Changes<\/em>, and prior to that, her breakthrough album 1021<\/em> was released in 2014.<\/p>\n Jordan may be sparing in her musical output, but every time she chooses to let us into her creative world, we learn more about what drives her. \u201cSweet Sensation\u201d feels like an homage to Evelyn \u201cChampagne\u201d King, Cherrelle, and other R&B divas of the \u201980s. With West Coast legend D\u0101M-FunK and Jordan\u2019s longtime creative director and executive producer KLSH behind the boards, the song is carried by a rugged bass line, twinkling production, and Jordan\u2019s airy, sensual vocals. Settling squarely in the space of disco-inflected pop&B, \u201cSweet Sensation\u201d sounds like a summer vibe, despite its near-fall release date. Not to worry: Just play this on repeat for the next 9 months. \u2014 K. Fitzgerald<\/em><\/p>\n TiaCorine \u2014 \u201cBackyard\u201d featuring JID<\/strong><\/p>\n
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Senior Entertainment Editor<\/i><\/p>\n
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