A Good Look Around

Jean-Luc Swift “B Like U”

The arrangement of “B Like U” is fussy with little details but still overwhelmingly airy and light, bringing to mind a statement of relaxation with lingering trace amounts of tension and worry. I find this song to be a “come for the loose part, stay for the tight part” proposition as I particularly love the sections in which the music seems to compress around a vocal sample that reminds me a lot of the bit in Spice Girls’ “Wannabe” where they repeat “I wanna, I wanna, I wanna.” This part also includes a bit of turntable scratching that really sells a specific late ‘90s vibe, a musical sensation that hits like an unexpected and disorienting wave of nostalgia in the midst of a song with a very different feel to it. It’s a little too cerebral and grounded to qualify as spacey and stoned, but it’s almost there.

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