Macklemore is back(lemore)

I'm not a fan of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's comeback single, Downtown. It's a Frankenstein's Monster of a song, stitched together from half a dozen half-formed ideas. I can't work out whether it's paying tribute to old-skool hip-hop or making fun of it. And what's with the chorus? Is Macklemore a secret Roxette fan?

The video is equally off-putting, full of crotch-grabbing and "hey bro" douchebaggery. What was everyone thinking?

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Downtown

Awful, isn't it?

Luckily, Macklemore's next song - a duet with Ed Sheeran called Growing Up - is more focussed... and a lot less hateful. It was written for his baby daughter, he says, and "half of it is advice about growing up. The other half is trying to figure out how to grow up myself."

Here's part of a long essay about her birth - and Macklemore's fears about being a dad - from his SoundCloud page.

Our daughter, Sloane Ava Simone Haggerty was born 2 months ago on May 29th. There is nothing like the joy and happiness that comes from bringing a baby into this universe. She has filled my heart in ways that I never knew were possible. She is the love of my life. This song is for her.

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Big tune alert: Fences ft Macklemore - Arrows

A long, long time ago, before Macklemore ever thought of honking a saxophone and "popping" some "tags", he was an unsigned rapper and recovering addict, who'd lost four friends to prescription drug abuse.

He poured those experiences into a song called Otherside ("I've seen cocaine bring out the demons inside... Friendship cease, no peace in the mind") which was one of the first tracks to bring his progressive, confessional rapping style to the attention of record labels.

Macklemore ft Fences - Otherside

The chorus on Otherside was sung by Fences, a fellow Seattle musician who Macklemore describes as being "fucked up in the same way that I'm fucked up".

Fences, aka Christopher Mansfield, is now preparing to release a new solo album, and Macklemore is giving his old friend a leg-up by appearing on the record's first single, Arrows.

And what a song it is. Driving, hook-laden indie-pop with a judicious use of glockenspiel. This could be a massive radio hit.

Fences fr Macklemore & Lewis - Arrows

Bonus content: Here's a brilliantly over-written statement from Fences about this latest collaboration.

"I have known Macklemore for quite some time. A friendship grown in the coffee shops and broken sidewalks of Seattle. We became sounding boards for each other's music and when it made sense we would combine our efforts. I consider him to be a fearless poet and a selfless human. Arrows is the peak of our mountain."

Broken sidewalks. Fearless poet. The peak of their mountain.

Amazing.

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