Talib
Kweli – It Only Gets Better
It Only Gets Better is off of
Talib Kweli’s album Prisoner
of Consciousness. It features Marsha Ambrosius and is produced by J. Cole. The
song quickly kicks off to a great start with Cole’s infectious production, while
Ambrosius is fantastic on the hook. Kweli, too, is in top form as his verses
feature his usual social consciousness and word play. Kweli continues to be a
vital part of hip hop’s social and political voice, and this track proves that
he is still a relevant member of hip hop’s current sound as well (which seems
to have mostly shifted to more mainstream artists). Available for download: here
Tegan
and Sara – Closer
Closer is off Tegan and Sara’s
new album Heartthrob,
and it is produced by Greg Kurstin. The Quin Sisters have always firmly had a
foot placed in pop music, but with Closer they seem to have fully jumped into
radio-friendly pop music (and not in a bad way). The song just explodes with
noxious pop fun from the beginning. It has that great quality (mostly exhibited
in 1980s’ pop classics) by which its listener immediately finds themselves in a
good move, and more than that ready to just gleefully bounce around. Available
for download: here
Thee
Oh Sees – Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster
Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster is off
of Thee Oh Sees’ album Floating
Coffin. What stands out right away about the song is the wonderful heavy distortion
on the guitar. It is all-consuming and takes us back to our fond memories of
grunge. But, the song is not very grunge-like when the distortion cuts out and
we are left with a much more psychedelic comedown, content to merely frolic in
the clouds. On a side note, the album cover is terrifying and oddly engaging. It
is weird, but I love it. Available for download: here
Wampire
– The Hearse
The Hearse is off of Wampire’s
debut album Curiosity.
The Portland, Oregon, duo delivers a fun and fantastic indie rock/pop song with
a horror theme. The song is very catchy with its pop sensibilities but also has
a nice creepy vibe and texture to it. Speaking of album covers. I am not sure
if Wampire has 2013’s best or worst. It is brilliantly tacky. Available for
download: here
The
Weeknd – Kiss Land
Kiss Land is off The Weeknd’s
debut studio album Kiss
Land (following up three brilliant mixtapes). Like the song above, Kiss
Land has a very creepy vibe to it, as Able Tesfaye sings about being on the
road forever and being intoxicated for most of it (which is warping his perception
of the world). Silkky Johnson’s production is both inviting and alienating –
this is because in moments it pulls in the listener with engaging drums but
then starts to create a feeling of uneasiness, as the music seems to spiral (as
if the listener too is trapped in a constant state of drunkenness, past the
point of elation). Available for download: here
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