STACK #195 Jan 2021

MUSIC FEATURE

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It’s time to make like a good little homing pigeon and return to the biggest and best records of 2020 – our ‘choice cuts’ – by way of impressive stats, STACK reviews, and from STACK ’s conversations with the artists themselves.

expectations of the Joneses – and it’s based on a true story! The song is about the former owner of Swift’s mansion in the affluent beachside neighbourhood of Watch Hill, Rhode Island: a kooky heiress named Rebekah Harkness, who was known for her extravagant spending, arts patronage, and insistence on being weird.” ZKR The Killers, Imploding The Mirage IN REVIEW “Since that moment in 2004 when you first heard the jewelled little guitar line which you’d come to learn signals the beginning of Mr Brightside , The Killers have sold over 28 million albums across the world and toured their tushes silly. Sixth album Imploding The Mirage continues the ferocious trend; incorporating guest spots from some remarkable names both emerging (Weyes Blood) and established (kd lang), the record explores themes of overcoming sorrow through the strength of friendships and fam, and moving forward into joy and celebration.” AC

The Weeknd, After Hours IN NUMBERS 20: Number of countries in which After Hours went to #1, including Australia, the US, UK, and the artist’s native Canada 1: Number of takes it took The Weeknd to complete the Vevo- filmed performance video of In Your Eyes with Kenny G, in which the two musicians ran through three different sets 632,000: Number of people who posted TikTok videos in the Blinding Lights Dance Challenge (including several professional dancers and celebrities such as Nicole Scherzinger and Jessica Alba)

The HU, The Gereg IN NUMBERS

64 Million: Number of times viewers have watched The HU’s clip for Yuve Yuve Yu on YouTube 2019: The year The HU were awarded the Order of Genghis Khan – the highest state award in Mongolia – for promoting Mongolian culture around the world 3: Number of The HU’s bandmembers (out of 4) who contribute traditional Mongolian throat singing to the group’s tracks 11: The highest chart position The Gereg reached internationally – which was in Australia!

Taylor Swift, Folklore IN REVIEW “ Cardigan is the sound of Taylor’s headcheck as she changes lanes onto

a muted beat, strings, and gracefully lazy slurs between notes – along with a super intimate, breathy delivery. “Dancing in your Levis, drunk under a street light” is a lyric that could have been torn from any of Del Rey’s dreamiest

Tame Impala, The Slow Rush IN REVIEW “Simultaneously retrospective and prospective (‘Eventually terrible memories turn into great ones’), Tame Impala’s fourth album opens with One More Year and closes with One More Hour – the passage of time closing in. It’s impossible to

cuts. Meanwhile, decadence and hedonism prevail in The Last Great American Dynasty , the tale of a wealthy woman living up to and exceeding the pearl-clutching

Highway Del Rey; there’s more than a few similarities to Lana’s cinematic Americana style, with

50 JANUARY 2021

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