As the first official release of its re-recorded catalog, “Love Story”, from Taylor Swift’s 2008 album, “Fearless”, is a smart choice. Not only is it one of his most beloved hits, but it also means that the first letter we heard Swift 31 years old sing is: “We were both young when I first saw you” – an immediate invocation of the past that subtly reshapes the recording as a kind of sweet love song for herself at 18. Swift is more interested in the impressive note-by-note simulacra than in the revisionism here, although the sharp-eared Swifties will delight in noticing the slightest differences (like the playful staccato hiccup she adds to “Rom-e-oh!” second pre- (chorus) When Swift announced his intentions to re-record his first six albums, skeptics wondered if the whole project was just an uncomfortable public display of personal animosity against his former business partners and new music owners. Swift has so far brought a sense of triumph, grace and talent to the venture and, in doing so, has started the process of retelling his story on his own terms. It is better than revenge. LINDSAY ZOLADZ
Rebecca Black with Dorian Electra, Big Freedia and 3OH! 3, ‘Friday (Remix)’
Say you want to rewrite your past. Write again, like an old hard drive. Take something that made it known and get it back. Send a message to the people who stole that pleasure and satisfaction thing that it brought you. Of course, you could make a note-by-note rewrite that primarily served as a middle finger for stock investors. Or maybe you could follow Rebecca Black’s route. It has been about a decade since “Friday”, her debut single, made her one of the first victims of cruelty on social media. But Black has been releasing music steadily and quietly for the past few years, and recently she is returning to the spotlight as a reliable and charming presence on TikTok. Musically, she found her balance as an extravagant eccentric with robust knowledge, an ideal approach for – and a natural position for – someone who was chewed up by the internet. Hence the recovery of “Friday”, with a chaotic, crazy, happy, meta-hyperpop remix with Dorian Electra, Big Freedia and 3OH! 3, all produced by Dylan Brady of 100 gecs. The original song became a text of banned misery. How wonderful it is to hold tight all these years and just wait for your bunch of misfits to show up. JON CARAMANICA
Dua Lipa, ‘We are good’
Dua Lipa is at her best in “We are good”, a bonus track from the new luxury “Moonlight Edition” from her 2020 album, “Future Nostalgia”: “We were not meant to be, like sleeping and cocaine”, she sings . OK then! The video is, likewise, full of irreverent and irreverent humor, since a tank of endangered lobsters is prevented from becoming dinner by … the sinking of the Titanic? Fortunately, the music itself is straightforward and fun – a sassy and sneaky farewell that is more reliable than that doomed luxury liner. ZOLADZ
Nicky Jam and Romeo Santos, ‘Fan of Your Photos’
“Fan de Tus Fotos” shows the soft reggaeton star Nicky Jam and the superstar of bachata Romeo Santos yearning for the same woman, singing one after another. Santos, in particular, is excited, singing (in Spanish): “I am your fan looking for a ticket / for a show with the body”. In the video, both are office drones obsessed with the same supervisor, who imposes two punishments for their insubordination in the workplace – she fires them (bad) and then finds more direct ways to boss them around (ummmmm … not bad) ?). CARAMANICA
Cherry Glazerr, ‘Big Bang’
Clementine Creevy, the songwriter who leads Cherry Glazerr, went far beyond the lean, guitar-driven rock of her recent past. “Big Bang” is a negotiation with an ex who is still in the photo: “I still call you when I need to escape”, she admits, just to insist: “I don’t want to make you my lifeline”. Their contradictory feelings are manifested along a majestic march that reaches almost orchestrated peaks. Is she arguing with her ex or with herself? JON PARELES
Death From Above 1979, ‘One + One’
What happens when post-punks grow up? The guitar and drum duo Death From Above 1979 has an answer: a strong embrace of happy monogamy and proud parenting. “One plus one is three – this is magical!” The drums still beat and jump, and the guitar still moves, while the nuclear family is reaffirmed. PARELES
R + R = Now, ‘How much does a dollar cost’
Pianist Robert Glasper and tall, multi-instrumentalist saxophonist Terrace Martin played important roles in the production of “To Pimp a Butterfly” by Kendrick Lamar, and are also at the core of R + R = Now, a contemporary jazz supergroup that works in conversations with hip-hop and R&B. (Also includes Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah on trumpet, Derrick Hodge on bass, Taylor McFerrin on synthesizer and Justin Tyson on drums). ”It was part of the set. This show was released today as a live album; on the cover of Lamar, without MC, the fiery interaction between Adjuah and Martin takes on the role of storytelling. GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO
Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy, ‘Hall of Death’
What could have been a country waltz becomes, instead, a hyperactive mess of distorted Tuareg guitar riffs and three-on-two crossed rhythms. Will Oldham’s tired voice and haunted lyrics (Bonnie “Prince” Billy) are supported not only by Matt Sweeney, but by the unstoppable Mdou Moctar Ensemble – which includes his collaborating songwriter Ahmoudou Madassane on guitar, from Niger. The track ends, unexpectedly, as something like a love song. PARELES
Lil Tjay featuring 6lack, ‘Calling My Phone’
Lil Tjay and 6lack’s slightly resentful sad boy R&B – Lil Tjay looks exhausted, while 6lack sounds like he never takes off his sunglasses when he looks you in the eye. CARAMANICA
Katy Kirby, ‘Portals’
Katy Kirby’s voice is modest and breathless, with some obvious cracks, as she reflects on an unstable relationship in metaphysical terms: “If we split up, will we be stronger than before / had we formed together in a temporary whole?” It is accompanied by calm, stable and basic piano chords in the foreground, while the co-conspirators of chamber pop discover complicated mysteries around them. PARELES
Lucy Gooch, ‘Ash and Orange’
Composer and singer Lucy Gooch overlaps her keyboards and vocals in engaging daydreams. “Ash and Orange” relies on organ-tones synthesizer chords, distant church bells and countless overdubbed crown-like harmonies for a song that evolves from meditation to an almost open confession – desperate? forgiving? – overlapping voices: “In my heart, in my head, I tried.” PARELES
Mark Feldman, ‘As We Are’
Fluidly spiraling down the neck of the violin, then hurling and tearing and scraping back in a rough swarm: this is Mark Feldman’s sound – firm and unrestricted as ever – in a solo version of Sylvie Courvoisier’s “As We Are” . Later, he allows the unusual melody of the piece to take him through a period of intense improvisation. This track opens Feldman’s engaging new album, “Sounding Point”, his first solo violin LP in over 25 years. RUSSONELLO
Brent Faiyaz featuring Purr, ‘Circles’
In “Circles”, producer and singer Brent Faiyaz ponders identity, purpose and eschatology: “Did I forget who I am? Chasing gold? / God only knows if you can really win in the middle of a world that is about to end. ”Nothing is reliable: neither the tone of his voice changed by the computer, nor the plinky tone loop behind it, nor the beat that is sometimes interrupted, not even if it’s a song or two. In the last 47 seconds, the track changes completely, turning into a retro rock soundtrack while, in the video, Faiyaz leaves the dark studio, gets into his sports car and drives away. PARELES