Lana Del Rey"Doin' Time"Sublime OST (out soon on Universal)If you grew up in California in the early 2000's, it was just about impossible to get in someone's car or go to a party that wasn't playing one of those two Sublime albums. Evidently, the same was true in wherever Read more
Stormzy"Vossi Bop"Digital SingleAfter a little while away, the London kingpin looks to be getting back in the game. "Vossi Bop" is a perfect comeback track because it is such a pure distillation of what makes Stormzy a true-one off. Over a tasty, yet simple beat, Big Mike goes in Read more
Even though we're a solid week into the second quarter, better late than never right? Here's a quick round-up of some of my favorite songs of the last three months. To keep numbers manageable, I didn't include anything from any of my favorite albums list and prioritized songs I Read more
Gah, I can't believe we're already 25% through 2019. That said, Spring is in the air, and we've enjoyed an excellent, diverse crop of music during these first three months. Have a look at some of my favorite LPs of the year so far in no particular order.
Dawn Richard
“New Read more
Chief Keef
"Ain't Gonna Happen"
GloToven (Glo Gang / RBC)
The Chicago stalwart's new project with the legendary Zaytoven is unsurprisingly full of weird and wacky sounds, moving in innumerable unexpected and exciting ways. Its most powerful moment is its starkest, as a heartbroken Keef floats freely over Zay's gorgeous piano.
"Face dried Read more
This luscious, expansive slow jam from Portland septet Shy Girls is guaranteed to make you feel feelings — even if they aren’t positive ones. You can scoff at 80’s guitar tone, roll your eyes at vocalist Dan Vidmar’s charmin-smooth falsetto, or legitimately LOL at the opulent, Hornsbyish sax solo, but the seductive “Under Attack” will make you feel something, which is, of course, the whole point of pop music.
It certainly makes me feel something. It makes me feel like this is one of the three best songs I’ve heard this year. Just about perfect.
CHVRCHES
“Recover” Recover EP (out March 25 on Virgin)
Last year, likely Scottish synth-pop trio, CHVRCHES (pronounced “Churches”), parlayed a pair of delicious, blogosphere-wankfest-inducing singles (“Lies” & “The Mother We Share”) into a coveted spot on BBC’s Sound of 2013 shortlist. Their upcoming debut’s lead single, “Recover,” is bristling with the virility and directness of their past successes, and while the original is brilliant, this remix from UK veteran, CID RIM, stretches it to new heights with a mind-bending barrage of synth droplets and swirling MIDI.
Tyler, The Creator
“Domo 23” WOLF (out April 2 on Odd Future Records)
5 reasons to care about Odd Future mainman Tyler, The Creator’s new song and video.
1. That it caused “Fookie Bookie” to trend on Twitter.
2. That Domo is doing the fat dude in a pool thing by wearing a t-shirt in a wrestling ring.
3. Surprise Frank Ocean at the end! Even a little Frank is better than no Frank at all.
4. The realization that Earl resembles a young Marvin Harrison.
5. Death by lougies.
James Blake
“Retrograde” Overgrown (out April 1 on Polydor)
I feel pretty comfortable writing about most tracks after listening to them three or four times, but James Blake’s majestic new single is not “most tracks.” After letting it sink in for about a week, I feel comfortable calling this his most spellbinding original work (ie, not counting his perfect cover of Joni Mitchell’s “A Case of You”) since the genre-defining title track from his seminal 2010 EP, CMYK. This, of course, includes all of his break-out debut LP — one of my Top 5 albums of 2011 — so there’s no hint of faint praise.
In many ways, “Retrograde” is the most fully-realized pop song he’s ever released and one of the few with something that approaches a verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure, but that isn’t what makes it stand out. It’s Blake’s ability to embrace and combine those sensibilities with his experimental roots and challenging, innovative sonic palette. His debut hinted that he was capable, yet uncomfortable with the notion of reinventing himself as a pop musician, and “Retrograde” is very much the sound of the Londoner fulfilling that potential. I can’t promise that it’ll end up as my song of the year, but I can promise that it’ll take some serious beating.
Giraffage
“All That Matters” Needs (out now on Alpha Pup Records)
San Francisco-based, sample-driven producer Charlie Yin described his moody, brilliant new LP, Needs, as an album he created while going through some of his best and worst times of his life. While I don’t know the album’s real backstory, emotionalism is all over its exquisitely crafted tracks. By picking vocal samples that are simultaneously mournful and sensual, Yin creates an album that is an adept soundtrack for both mourning lost love and making it. Needs‘ stand-out track, “All That Matters,” is a devastating example of this and is driven by a sumptuous sample of Ready For the World’s classic, “Love You Down.” Even though his music is sample heavy, don’t get it twister — these tracks are very much original compositions. One of my favorite albums of the first quarter.
Kisses
“The Hardest Part” Kids in L.A. (out 5/14 on Cascine)
In 2011, the Los Angeles-based BF/GF duo released one of my favorite debuts of recent years — the bubbly, beachy The Heart of the Nightlife — so I rejoiced when the group (made up of Jesse Kivel and Zinzi Edmundson) announced their follow-up late last week. Frontman Kivel may have spent most of 2012 with his other group — the underrated indie rock quartet Princeton — but from the album’s first proper single, it seems like he hasn’t been neglecting Kisses. In short, “The Hardest Part” is basically everything that I loved about the group’s debut.
Its light and airy feel is anchored by a rock-solid, driving bassline and a touch of melancholy and urgency, resulting in a track that is easy without feeling devoid of substance. Kivel’s remarkably smooth tenor is reminiscent of velvety vocalists like Jens Lekman and (less so) Arthur Russell, and while it is often the highlight of his tracks, it is the slithering outro synth line that steals the show here, which suggests that the duo might have some new tricks up their sleeve on Kids in L.A. I can’t wait to find out.
A/T/O/S “A Taste of Struggle” (Clip) Unknown Release (on DEEP MEDi)
Almost nothing is known about this mercurial UK-based outfit. Their debut single is a murky, alluring slinker that recalls TP-favorites Face+Heel and Evy Jane. Though this is just a radio rip from Mary Anne Hobbs’ essential BBC show, it is a serious statement of intent from a young artist that I’d expect we’ll hear a lot more from in the coming months.
Autre Ne Veut “Play By Play” Anxiety (due out 2/26 on Software)
Brooklyn future-synth/laseR&B* vocalist Autre Ne Veut (né Arthur Ashin) is finally about ready for his close-up. His self-titled, 2010 debut came a few years too early, but his progressive style is perfectly poised for a break-out in the current atmosphere. While Anxiety‘s first single, “Counting,” was a lot more accesible, “Play By Play” highlights Ashin’s pliant, hyper-expressive vocals and cuttingly personal lyrics. The arraignment is pure vaporwave, with Ashin’s powerful delivery drenched in cascading MIDI twinkles and colorful globs of neon synths. I think ANV might still be a little too weird (and too weird-looking) to hit the heights of some recent progressive R&B artists, but in truth, his music sounds a lot more like Miguel than it doesn’t. Thiscould easily end up being one of the albums of the year.
*feel free to insert your own preferred made-up genre title here
Don’t look now, but we may just stumbled across the first truly great pop single of the young year. While little is known about Ms. Liz, we do know she is from Tarzana, has some famous friends, listens to a shitload of 90’s pop and R&B, and wants you to “love her like your Xbox” (Lana shout-out?). Her debut single, “XTC,” has more than a few shades of 2012 favorite and fellow Angelino Sky Ferreira’s devastating, “Everything is Embarrassing.” We’ll see if it sticks the same, but it certainly has the same kind of timeless, wistful keytar-tastic melody and nostalgic feel. We’ll see if she has any more tricks up her oversized army jacket, but the mysterious Valley Girl’s debut single is just about everything I want in a pop song.
Sky Ferreira
“Everything is Embarrassing” remixes by Krystal Klear, Twin Shadow, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Digital
Sky Ferreira remixes are like London busses — you wait ages for one to come and then three show up at the same time*. Even though it has been out for the better part of a year, the part-time model’s lovelorn, dancing-in-my-room jam never really got a worthy remix until recently when George Lewis Jr of Twin Shadow, Mancunian serial remixer Krystal Klear, and PDX-via-NZ trio Unknown Mortal Orchestra all took a whack at it. All three artists left Ferreira’s intoxicating vocal line in tact but took decidedly different spins on the arraignments. Lewis’ is a delicious, synth-slathered lazer show of a synth jam, while Krystal Klear flips it into a scintillating Euro house jam — think sexy Jazzercise — that is my pick of the bunch. While I still like it, UMO’s take is my least favorite of the three, as the group’s drum-heavy version feels a touch ponderous at times. Either way, I’m just glad that the brilliant original finally gets the remixes that it deserves.
*other things that are like London busses: job opportunities, sexual partners, triplets
Shy Girls
