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Critics call Lorde's ‘Virgin' both a ‘reinvention' and ‘a return to bangers'
Critics call Lorde's ‘Virgin' both a ‘reinvention' and ‘a return to bangers'

Yahoo

time10 hours ago

  • Entertainment
  • Yahoo

Critics call Lorde's ‘Virgin' both a ‘reinvention' and ‘a return to bangers'

Four years after her pandemic-induced pivot to sunshine and acoustic guitars on Solar Power, Lorde has returned with her fourth album, Virgin. Behind the scenes, the Kiwi pop star changed up producers, leaving behind recent collaborator Jack Antonoff, but the first reviews for Virgin are heralding the return of the old Lorde (in some ways, at least). Vulture's Craig Jenkins frames the album as a response to the release of Solar Power and celebrates its understanding of the singer's audience. More from Gold Derby Marge lives! Here are 3 other 'Simpsons' characters that returned from the grave - and 3 who stayed dead Fast cars vs. killer dolls: 'F1,' 'M3GAN 2.0' gear up for box-office showdown "Everything about Virgin, Lorde's fourth album, feels like a reaction to trials preceding and following Solar Power," he writes. "Virgin is rife with epiphanies earned in tussles with one's own established persona. But these cerebral dispatches realize their audience often experiences the work communally and tends to enjoy it most when accompanied by flowing synths and insistent drums. Pure Heroine and Melodrama left indelible marks on mainstream music; Lorde is instrumental to the 21st-century whisper-singer epidemic. Heroine's lean minimalism is one of many sonic precursors to the commercial breakthrough of Taylor Swift's 1989 and thus kin to its many scion. Virgin is a return to bangers." And while the sound may be something more akin to the tracks off of Pure Heroine and Melodrama, there's a strong consensus that Virgin represents a lyrics and sonic evolution for Lorde. "The result is nearly 40 minutes of undeniable pop bangers and jagged synth flashes where Lorde wipes parts of her past clean and makes room for the adult she has crystallized into," writes Rolling Stone's Maya Georgi. "Since [Solar Power], fans have clamored for Lorde to return to the swooping, alternative synth-pop that defined her early career, which means the stakes are particularly high for Virgin. She has answered the call with an album that isn't trying to capture something from the past, but instead leans into the chaos of reinvention." A significant element of the changes present in Virgin's lyrical content seems to be the natural passage of time. Lorde broke onto the scene with "Royals" at the age of 16. For those keeping track at home, that was 12 years ago. "You could call Virgin a coming-of-age album for Lorde's late 20s. It's as if she's finally realized that to come of age is actually a messy, lifelong process — that as sturdy as you think your sense of self is, it'll keep snagging on things that unravel it," writes NPR's Hazel Cillis. "As familiar as Virgin might sound at first play, the Lorde here isn't — and that's a good thing. 'Who's gon' love me like this?' Lorde sings on 'Man of the Year,' in the throes of a breakup. 'Now I'm broken open?' The old Lorde would never sing that. The old Lorde would never even let us see her break." While some critics, like Paste's Matt Mitchell, find the return to bangers as somewhat of a step down in ambition, the move doesn't keep Virgin from being a major piece of work. "Musically, it's the least-ambitious album Lorde has ever made, thanks to her avoidance of the big hooks and explosive resolutions that pop orthodoxy demands," he writes. "But, in an undeniably personal collection of songs full of clichés and gestures toward conversations around earthly desires, gender, and habitual living, it's Ella Yelich O'Connor's most important statement yet." And since this is a Lorde album — which is to say that it's influential — there's a utility in digging through Virgin to see where it will inevitably lead pop music for the next few years. "Obviously, Virgin is very autobiographical and a bit of an elaborate self-cleanse, but it's also the sound of a person in the second half of their twenties finding wisdom and themselves," writes Variety's Jem Aswad. "And judging by how often in the past few years she's been cited as a major influence by young female artists, it will be interesting to see how far this album reaches." Best of Gold Derby Billboard 200: Chart-topping albums of 2025 Billboard Hot 100: Every No. 1 song of 2025 The B-52s' Kate Pierson talks Rock Hall snub, influencing John Lennon, and fears a solo album would be a 'betrayal' to her band Click here to read the full article.

Luxon shines on global stage but has work to do at home - Fran O'Sullivan
Luxon shines on global stage but has work to do at home - Fran O'Sullivan

NZ Herald

time14 hours ago

  • Business
  • NZ Herald

Luxon shines on global stage but has work to do at home - Fran O'Sullivan

Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte, who Luxon would meet with later in the week as the sole political leader from the Indo-Pacific Four present at the big security meeting at the Hague, also had a strong career at Unilever before becoming Dutch Prime Minister. Rutte held that role for almost 14 years before taking up the security alliance leadership in October 2024. Further insights into the Unilever style were shared: I was pointed to a Dutch magazine which acknowledged Unilever disproportionally produces leaders as it invested in leadership development long before it became fashionable, and recruitment always factored in more than IQ alone – soft skills and aspects like motivation, personality and worldview. Unilever also used to hire a surplus of management trainees which hence had to compete; people were often thrown into the deep end by being sent overseas, and because of the surplus, good managers ended up elsewhere as well. In Leiden there was business to do. Luxon worked a room stacked with representatives of Kiwi firms based in the Netherlands and potential Dutch investors in NZ. There was keen interest from the private equity players and investors I spoke with in the Government's drive to increase foreign investment in NZ and to leverage the ground-breaking EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement. This is important as the Government seeks to obtain broader-based investment in NZ. This will be emphasised later this year at the European Business Summit, which is expected to attract participation by potential investors from Europe. The Prime Minister is now in his sweet spot on these international sojourns. He is a practised hand when it comes to putting his hustle on. That was evident at his earlier business meetings in Shanghai and Beijing where he promoted NZ dairy and beef products, tourism and more. His meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang were highly successful. It was obvious at the Great Hall of the People that he had struck a warm accord with both leaders – the body language spoke to that along with flattering comments from the president. At the Nato dinner he was placed with French President Emmanuel Macron and EU President Ursula von der Leyen. The Nato meeting was essentially a drum roll for US President Donald Trump off the back of the US bombing Iranian nuclear facilities and his efforts to bring Israel and Iran back to negotiations. The European partners in Nato have agreed to increase their defence budgets at Trump's urging. The meeting between Rutte and Nato's Indo-Pacific partners – NZ, South Korea, Japan and Australia – was more vanilla. Rutte's statement indicated Nato and the Indo-Pacific Four were committed to strengthening dialogue and co-operation, based on shared strategic interests and common values, and on the recognition that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific is interconnected. Rutte expressed Nato's gratitude to the Indo-Pacific partners for their 'steadfast support' to Ukraine and Flagship Projects. Where Nato and the Indo-Pacific Four will concentrate is on learning from each other on key topics, including the security of supply chains, development, production and procurement processes. They will look to collaborate on projects to deliver capabilities including in the space and maritime domains, and in the area of munitions. There will also be co-operation with Nato on emerging and disruptive technologies and opportunities to foster co-operation on innovation through relevant actors, including dual-use start-ups. It seems clear from the Nato statement that the interoperability of NZ's forces with the Western security alliance will also be pursued with the potential to create collaborative defence industrial opportunities. This is heady stuff. Luxon returned to NZ yesterday after 12 days on the road. He is faced with declining polls, the need to engage more with the senior business community through listening and to ensure domestic issues like NZ's energy security are solved. He's done a good job on the global stage - there is now work to be done at home.

'Specific' captains and the other big ref focuses for Lions series
'Specific' captains and the other big ref focuses for Lions series

The 42

time17 hours ago

  • Sport
  • The 42

'Specific' captains and the other big ref focuses for Lions series

YOU MIGHT HAVE overheard the exchange between Lions captain Maro Itoje and referee James Doleman just after Argentina's breakaway try in the last act of the first half in Dublin last Friday night. Well, you might have overheard Doleman's part in it. Itoje was a little far away from the ref mic to be clearly audible, but it was obvious that he was protesting the legitimacy of the Argentina try, which came after the ball squirted out of Lions wing Duhan van der Merwe's grasp. 'Be specific,' was Doleman's response after Itoje first spoke to him. 'The ball was out,' continued New Zealand's Doleman. 'Maro, we're not just going to have a lolly scramble. Be specific with what you're asking.' A 'lolly scramble' is a Kiwi children's game where sweets are thrown into the air and kids scramble around to catch them or scoop them off the ground. It's chaotic. Itoje took a breath and made a more specific query, with Doleman asserting again that Argentina had legally played the ball. What we're really interested in here is Doleman's demand that Itoje be 'specific.' This relates to one of the guidelines World Rugby has issued to its top referees ahead of the British and Irish Lions series in Australia, as well as the rest of the international games around the world in the coming weeks. Ben O'Keeffe of New Zealand, Italy's Andrea Piardi, and Nika Amashukeli of Georgia will referee the three Tests in Australia. Their decision-making will be crucial. Andrea Piardi will referee the second Lions Test. Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO World Rugby wants referees to make it clear that captains can't forcefully challenge every single decision throughout a game. National teams have been told that their skippers need to be calm and specific when they believe something might have been missed and needs to be checked by the Television Match Official [TMO]. It seems that leading referees feel some captains are simply questioning too many decisions, sometimes chancing their arm even if they aren't sure themselves. And World Rugby has told match officials that this needs to work both ways. Referees have been directed to be respectful and open in dealing with captains' queries around the big moments in games, things like tries and cards. Even if there aren't formal reviews, World Rugby has told teams that their captains being specific, calm, and precise in their interaction with the referee will often allow the TMO to quietly check things in the background. So Doleman and Itoje's exchange might not be the only time we hear the request for 'specific' information in the coming weeks. One of the major focuses in this international window is the 20-minute red card, which is now in play for the Lions series and all other professional rugby. Ireland fans got a taste for the 20-minute red card when centre Garry Ringrose was shown one during this year's Six Nations clash with Wales. Ringrose was initially yellow-carded and his high tackle was referred for an off-field review, after which his sanction was upgraded to a 20-minute red card. Bundee Aki replaced Ringrose after that period. Garry Ringrose had a yellow card upgraded to a 20-minute red during the Six Nations. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO All of the Lions Tests will involve a foul play review officer [FPRO] who is tasked specifically with carrying out such off-pitch reviews. However, Ireland's two Tests against Georgia and Portugal don't have FPROs, so the off-field reviews will be done by the TMO. That means the on-pitch officials will need to be even more alert while the TMO is carrying out any off-pitch review. It's worth underlining here that full, permanent red cards are still part of the game. However, the only person who can make the decision to issue a permanent red card is the referee. FPROs and TMOs cannot upgrade a sanction to a permanent red card, only to a 20-minute red. Referees have been reminded that they can and should issue permanent red cards for foul play that involves a h igh level of danger, is intentional, and is always illegal. World Rugby wants referees to be strong enough to show permanent red cards in these instances. So offences like shoulder charges to the head, deliberate targeting of the lower limbs of defenders jackaling for a breakdown turnover, and more obvious stuff like punching, kicking, head-butting should be met with a permanent red card. Take, for example, this incident of foul play by Italy's Giacomo Nicotera against Ireland during the Six Nations. Advertisement Nicotera was shown a yellow card for this shoulder charge to Peter O'Mahony's head, with the incident sent for off-field review. However, World Rugby has seemingly directed that this should have been a permanent red card because it was a shoulder charge with a high degree of danger and always illegal. Nicotera's 'tucked shoulder' in this instance has been highlighted as one of the cues in determining an illegal shoulder charge, along with the player's palm facing backwards away from the contact, or a clenched fist as they make contact. Some incidents of head contact won't involve a high degree of danger – for example, when there is indirect contact to the head – and the 20-minute red card should still apply in those instances. And even when there is a high degree of danger involved, if the foul play is not deliberate or intentional, then it should be punished with a 20-minute red card. So take Ringrose's tackle against Wales as an example. World Rugby has advised that there was a high degree of danger involved but that Ringrose attempted to wrap in the tackle, so it wasn't always illegal. That's why a 20-minute red card was the right call. Another element of foul play that referees have been told to watch out for is dangerous low tackling where the defender goes off their feet to make a tackle. Tackles like the one above where the defender has a knee on the ground before tackling have been cause for concern given the obvious possibility of injury for both the ball-carrier and the tackler themselves. The breakdown is always a key battleground in any game of rugby, but things have changed there in recent times as scrum-halves have been given more space to operate. Referees have been reminded that defenders can't swing up the sides of the breakdown to muddy the recycle. No one can play the scrum-half from within the ruck anyway, but some players have subtly been swinging up into the attacking team's space and acting innocent, sometimes even asking referees if they can hook the ball back with their feet. This kind of stuff should be swiftly penalised. The match officials have been asked to be more vigilant in punishing defenders at the fringes of the breakdown sneaking onside, while they've also been asked to focus on ensuring players chasing restarts aren't getting ahead of the kicker. There has been emphasis put on teams' backlines not breaking the 10-metre offside line before lineouts have ended. This also applies to the attack, with many attacking teams stealing a march on the defence by breaking the 10-metre line. As ever, the set-piece contests will be key in the Lions series and every other Test match this summer. Some of the key focuses at lineout time are ensuring that defensive jumpers are not leaping across the lineout and landing on opponents, as well as ensuring there is no contact on opponents' arms or hands while in the air. The lineout, maul, and scrum will be pivotal in Australia. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO There will be renewed focus on receivers or '+1′ players only being allowed to join the lineout before the throw if they are clearly replacing another player who leaves the lineout. Some teams are making several switches of receiver pre-throw to confuse the defence, but World Rugby want it to be crystal clear. At maul time, referees have been asked to ensure that defenders have clear access to the lineout jumper when they land and aren't obstructed by lifters 'double banking' ahead of their jumper. On the other side, match officials have been asked to refocus on defenders entering the maul at their side's hindmost foot and only coming through the middle of the maul. Defenders have increasingly been testing the waters by swinging up the sides of mauls, so referees will look to clamp down on that. The scrum will be an intriguing part of the Lions series, with the tourists probably believing that they can get momentum in this area against the Wallabies. The match officials will be aiming for fewer reset scrums and fewer collapses by focusing on a couple of key elements. Front rows will be reminded not to touch their opponents before the 'bind' call in order to ensure a gap remains, while hookers will have to clearly apply the 'brake foot' to help create better balance in both scrums. The brake foot is where a hooker has one foot positioned forward in the middle of the tunnel of the scrum to bring about more stability. Referees will demand that the hooker's brake foot is clearly visible and that it only moves backwards when they call 'set.' So we will probably hear plenty of mentions of the brake foot during this Lions series. Referees have also been encouraged to use penalty sanctions sooner rather than later to discourage negative scrum behaviour that prevents a genuine contest from developing. So, as ever, there is a huge amount for the match officials to nail in these huge international games. Who'd be a ref?

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