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
Jae Stephens
“Every Time” Digital Single
After dropping one of the best singles of 2017, the LA singer returns with a low-key follow up that continues to hint at her massive potential. “Every Time” is a sweltering love letter to her hometown, from her roots in Studio City to the packed freeways that connect its residents to a wealth of possibilities. Buoyed by the pulsing, soulful production of London singer-songwriter, Burno Major, Stephens captures the excitement and anxiety of exploring an endless maze that offers a million different ways to come back home.
Car Seat Headrest
“War is Coming (If You Want It)” Digital Single
If you aren’t worried about what is happening on this planet, you aren’t an actual human. Will Toldeo is a certified human and a very talented songwriter, and he displays both on this this world-weary new single. During a tight, tuneful three and a half minutes, Toldeo decries a number of popular, corrosive views that are currently polluting the globe and calls out a need for healing. The message may not be particularly novel, but we need as many positive voices as we can in these troubled times.
Jesse Kivel “LA Story”
Content (out 10.06 on New Feelings)
After a couple years away, the Kisses/Princeton frontman returns with a gorgeous, slow-burning solo single. It’s unclear whether the 1991 Steve Martin film of the same name inspired this track, but the seductive keys, jazzy fretless bass-line, and massive horn chorus melody makes sure it wouldn’t sound out of place on the soundtrack. Kivel’s warm tenor is as smooth as ever, gliding high above the lush arrangement and capturing the city’s beauty and ennui.
Waxahatchee “Recite Remorse” Out in the Storm (out now on Merge)
I’ve been loving Katie Crutchfield’s break-up album for the last month or so, and it’s gorgeous centerpiece recently got some starry-eyed visuals. The clip captures the track’s celestial beauty and underwater feel. Over five transfixing minutes, Crutchfield captures the emotional paralysis of not knowing whether to escape a troubled relationship or to come back in and start working to fix it.
Lil Durk x Lil Reese
“Distance” Supa Vultures (out 08.11 on OTF/Empire) Two of the lynchpins of early/mid 10’s Chicago drill link back up for a melodic. piano-laced heater. Though the duo’s styles couldn’t be less similar — Durk is melodic without even trying, while Reese raps through gritted teeth — they are also perfect foils. Longtime collaborator Young Chop matches their fire and ice flows with a tasty combination of ultra-melodic keys, potent sub-bass, and rolling trap hats.
Kelela
“LMK” Take Me Apart (10.06 on Warp) Our agonizing wait for the first taste of Kelela’s proper studio debut* is finally over, and my GOD, our girl came through with a banger. In lieu of just typing 4,000 fire emojis, I’ll just say that “LMK” is such a perfect distillation of what makes her such a special artist. The track lives in that ambiguous space between the club, the bedroom, and the radio. And the D.C. native devouring a club-ready Arca production and turning it into a slick, intoxicating slab of ultra-modern R&B.
And though everything about it sounds pristine, Kelela’s lyrics are never mere empty calories. She effortlessly deconstructs modern ghosting culture, reminding your local neighborhood fuckboi (or girl) that the main thing most people are looking for in the early going is honesty.
Jessie Ware “Midnight” Digital Single In the years I’ve been covering music, I wrote more about Jessie Ware’s early career than just about anyone else. I first covered her back in 2011 and tracked her progression from a promising, mostly unknown, quiet storm prodigy to a true powerhouse who could command any room she was in. It all culminated with her stunning 2012 debut, Devotion, which is still one of the best albums of the decade.
Though her 2014 follow-up Tough Love accelerated her commercial progression, it left me a bit cold and felt burned by overpacked arrangements that felt more Sam Smith than Sade. Disappointed as I was, it was hard to argue with her decision. The disc was a commercial success that grew her fanbase and led to collabs with people like Ed Sheeran and Nicki Minaj. And her affable, low-key persona made her easy to root for, regardless of how I felt about the new sound.
All of that makes her comeback single, “Midnight,” so exciting. It doesn’t sound like Devotion, but it feels like it. Her best music tackles heavy, human topics with a weightless quality, and this gorgeous single captures recaptures that magic. Met with a descending pianos, the 32 year-old pushes her evocative voice to its upper register, capturing the baited breath and quickened heartbeat of a late-night rendezvous. The relationship she’s singing about may be rooted in deep ‘devotion’, but it still feels like the first time. Bravo.
Turnover “Sunshine Type” Good Nature (out 08.25 on Run for Cover)
The second track from the Virginia trio’s upcoming third LP is a delicious slice of subdued, humid, mid-tempo soft rock. Interestingly, both of Good Nature’s pre-release singles have lacked the urgency of 2015’s excellent Peripheral Vision. Instead, they have been languid and dreamy, which could be indicative of a shift from the angst of your early 20’s to the ennui of your mid 20’s. Or, maybe I just haven’t heard the whole record yet, and I should chill out on the predictions. Either way, I’m counting down the days until the 25th.
Lomelda “Out There” Thx (out 09.08 on Double Double Whammy)
“Out There” is that certain kind of wistful that will speak to anybody who has ever been young and stuck in a small, sleepy suburb. The track gorgeously chronicles singer-songwriter Hannah Read’s youth in the East Texas town of Silsbee, population 6,735. Over languid, windswept guitars, Read dreams of getting out and experiencing the big, beautiful, terrifying world that lies outside the city limits.
The War on Drugs “Strangest Things” A Deeper Understanding (out 08.25 on Atlantic)
Welp, looks like the Philly sadsacks’ hugely anticipated fourth LP is officially 3 for 3. Just like “Thinking of a Place” and “Holding on,” “Strangest Things” is a gorgeous, windswept epic that highlights frontman Adam Granduciel’s rare ability to craft sky-scraping power ballads. Though he isn’t blessed with a classic, powerhouse voice, the 38 year-old makes up for it with lush guitar and synth arrangements and deft, delicious melodies. Many bet that 2014’s excellent “Lost in the Dream” would be the group’s artistic zenith, but the more we hear from this new one, the more unlikely that seems.
Jae Stephens
